Oil companies say all 893 E20 petrol samples passed, dispute Karnataka’s 26–31% ethanol claim

India's three state-run oil marketing companies say every one of 893 E20 petrol samples they tested met the standard, and they have challenged Karnataka's claim that petrol at some of its pumps contains 26% to 31% ethanol.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas issued the response after taking note of a press release from Karnataka's Department of Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology. Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum told the ministry the state's claims "are not supported by testing conducted in accordance with the prescribed statutory and technical procedures". E20 is petrol blended with 20% ethanol.

The companies' test results

Under the OMC/CHT Quality Coordination Cell exercise, 893 E20 samples (IOCL 330, BPCL 280, HPCL 283) from depots and retail outlets in 27 States and Union Territories were tested for ethanol content under IS 17021. All 893 fell within the prescribed 19–21% range.

In Karnataka, all 56 samples tested conformed, with ethanol between 19% and 20% and an average of 19.30%.

Objections to Karnataka's method

The ministry said the October exercise reportedly drew samples without oil-company representatives present. The companies say they have not received the retention samples, outlet-wise details or laboratory reports they asked for.

It also said the certificates come from a third-party laboratory and only state "Ethanol % by Gas Chromatography", without the test method, the required 1:1 dilution or the reference material. On that basis, it said, the 26–31% figures "cannot be independently validated".

The ministry added that the certificates show densities of 0.742 to 0.749 g/cc, below the 0.752–0.760 g/cc recorded in the companies' own surveys, although ethanol is denser than petrol.

The ₹1.01 lakh crore consumer-loss claim

The ministry also disputed estimates of ₹62,000 crore in lost mileage and ₹39,000 crore in repairs, about ₹1.01 lakh crore in all. It said more than 30 crore two-wheelers and 4 crore four-wheelers have run on E20 for over three years with no widespread breakdowns reported. Citing its 12 August 2025 response, it said E20-calibrated vehicles can lose about 1–2% mileage, and some others 3–6%.

The wider programme

Since 2014-15, ethanol blending has saved more than ₹1.97 lakh crore in foreign exchange, substituted about 316 lakh tonnes of crude oil and moved more than ₹1.66 lakh crore to farmers, the ministry said. In the year to 31 October 2026, the companies blended 1,134 crore litres against petrol sales of about 5,673 crore litres.

What happens next

The companies have asked Karnataka for its full sampling papers and the counterpart samples, to be retested at an authorised laboratory in the presence of state and company representatives. The release does not say whether the state has replied. Any deviation found through the prescribed procedure "will be dealt with in accordance with the applicable guidelines".

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Source: official release by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (07 NOV 2026 1:18PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: E20 Petrol Supplied by PSU Oil Marketing Companies Meets Prescribed Quality Standards; 893 Samples Across 27 States and UTs Found Compliant.