New Delhi, Jul 4: Leading passenger vehicle manufacturers Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. and Toyota Kirloskar Motor sought to reassure customers about E20 petrol, saying extensive testing and real-world data show no evidence that the higher ethanol blend causes engine damage, excessive wear or an increase in insurance claims.

NDTV Profit reported that executives from both companies said concerns surrounding E20 fuel are largely unfounded and that vehicle-related complaints are more likely linked to fuel contamination or adulteration rather than the ethanol content.

Maruti Suzuki's Senior Executive Officer Rahul Bharti said the company has conducted extensive testing on both new and older vehicles.

"There is this concern or fear of corrosion, wear and tear, and reduction in life. We want to give a statement of confidence -- there is no such concern," Bharti said.

He added that the company had tested E20 fuel in vehicles manufactured before 2010 and found no abnormal wear or reliability issues.

According to Bharti, Maruti Suzuki serviced more than 2.5 crore vehicles during FY26, including over 1.5 crore older-generation cars, without observing any concerns related to E20 fuel.

"Even in those cars, we have not noticed anything of concern," he said, adding that customers can confidently use E20 fuel in Maruti Suzuki vehicles.

Meanwhile, Toyota Kirloskar Motor echoed the same view, with Country Head Vikram Gulati saying neither Toyota nor the wider automobile industry has witnessed any increase in vehicle issues attributable to E20 petrol.

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"There have been no such complaints coming to our dealerships related to E20 fuel," Gulati said.

Both companies also dismissed concerns that E20 fuel has led to a rise in insurance claims.

Bharti said Maruti Suzuki has not witnessed any increase in claims linked to E20 fuel, while Toyota also said it has seen no trend connecting insurance claims with ethanol-blended petrol.

On complaints occasionally raised by motorists, both manufacturers pointed to fuel contamination as the more likely cause.

The executives acknowledged that E20 petrol results in a marginal reduction in fuel efficiency because ethanol has a lower calorific value than petrol.

(IANS)