In a first, a consumer court in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur ruled in favour of a vehicle owner who alleged that E20 petrol caused significant damage to his vehicle.
According to media reports, the consumer claimed that after refuelling with E20 petrol, his 2023 Maruti Grand Vitara Strong Hybrid Zeta Plus began experiencing recurring engine problems, including poor performance, repeated stalling, misfiring and a gradual decline in efficiency. According to the complaint, the issues persisted despite multiple visits to authorised service centres, fuel changes and repeated repairs, eventually resulting in substantial engine-related expenses.
The Raipur District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held that consumers could not be expected to avoid using E20 petrol when it had become the commonly available fuel at petrol pumps. It directed the vehicle manufacturer and dealer to reimburse the owner’s repair expenses, besides awarding compensation for mental agony and litigation costs. ALSO READ: 6 in 10 new petrol car owners report over 10% drop in mileage: Survey
The vehicle owner, Dr Premraj Devta, was awarded ₹1 lakh as compensation for mental harassment and ₹10,000 towards litigation costs, reported Mint. The Commission also directed Maruti Suzuki to replace the consumer’s vehicle with a new E20-compatible model within 45 days.
Failing to do this, the company will have to refund the full purchase price of ₹18.29 lakh, along with the Regional Transport Office (RTO) fee of ₹1.86 lakh and insurance premium of ₹34,644, taking the total refund amount to ₹20.50 lakh. If the order is not complied with within the stipulated period, the company will also have to pay 7 per cent annual interest on the amount, as reported by Mint.
The ruling comes days after Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari rejected allegations that E20 fuel damages vehicle engines, calling such claims “misinformation”. In an interview with The Times of India, Gadkari said the government had not received a single complaint from vehicle owners and asserted that all E10-compliant vehicles are compatible with E20 fuel.
He also told TOI that motorists who do not wish to use ethanol-blended petrol can opt for 100 per cent petrol, but they will have to pay a higher price.
“People who do not want ethanol-blended fuel can go for 100 per cent petrol, but they will have to pay more,” Gadkari told the newspaper. He added that India has already achieved 20 per cent ethanol blending and that E20 petrol is now available at fuel stations across the country.
