Why should I fill up with E10?

Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector must be reduced even faster and at a higher rate. Policymakers realised this in 2021 and agreed on a higher greenhouse gas reduction quota than was envisaged a few years ago. Suitable fuels will play a decisive role in achieving this quota. The aim is to defossilise road transport to the greatest possible extent and to reduce vehicle CO₂ emissions.

In the case of petrol, this is achieved with certified sustainable bioethanol in E5 and E10 fuel. There are currently around 31 million cars with petrol engines registered in Germany. With just a few exceptions, these cars can be operated with E10 fuel.

Since 2006, all types of petrol in Germany have been blended with bioethanol. This is why the designation Super is accompanied by the phrase “enthält bis zu 5% Bioethanol” (contains up to 5% bioethanol). This also applies for Super Plus. E10 fuel, which was introduced in Germany in 2011, contains up to 10% bioethanol.

In Germany, more than 95% of cars with petrol engines and generally all new cars with petrol engines can run on E10 fuel without any limitations. The European standard for petrol DIN EN 228 guarantees the same quality of E10 fuel in Germany and all other EU member states, such as SP95-E10 in France. Bioethanol is the only certified sustainable additive for petrol with officially registered proof. European Directive 2009/28 ensures that the raw materials for bioethanol do not originate from land that is particularly worthy of protection and that bioethanol significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gas saving of bioethanol used in petrol in Germany in 2019 has been officially determined to be 88.2% compared to the statutory reference value for fossil petrol. This saves up to 197 g of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO₂) per litre of E10 fuel.

Bioethanol is produced from renewable raw materials (feed grain and sugar beets) as well as from waste and residues from agriculture and the food industry. In the case of feed grain processing, about one third is used to produce bioethanol; two thirds is used to produce protein-rich animal feed and other products such as yeast, gluten, biogenic carbon dioxide as well as biofertiliser and biomethane. Domestic bioethanol creates and secures jobs and reduces the use of crude oil which is not only harmful to the climate and the environment, but also has to be imported. In Germany Bioethanol is not subsidised, but taxed at the same rate as fossil petrol from crude oil.