Know Your Fuel
Petrol and diesel have new labels at filling station pumps.
There’s no need to worry or change what you do – the fuel is exactly the same.
Just learn your new label to make sure you choose the right fuel every time.
Same fuel, new label
All petrol and diesel is exactly the same as before. The labels are simply another way to help you choose the right fuel.
Petrol is now labelled E5.
Diesel is labelled B7.
Retailers are likely to continue to call these fuels “petrol” (or “unleaded”) and “diesel”.
What the labels mean
The labels use symbols for petrol or diesel, plus a letter and number to tell you:
- the type of renewable fuel
- the maximum percentage of the relevant renewable fuel it contains
The fuels are exactly the same as before.
Why we add renewable fuels
Renewable fuels (such as biodiesel and ethanol) have been blended into UK petrol and diesel fuel for over 10 years.
They reduce overall carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and help the UK meet climate change targets.
Last year, blending renewable fuels in this way reduced CO2 emissions by the equivalent of taking over 1 million cars off the road.
Where you will see the new labels
The labels will be on fuel dispensers and nozzles at all petrol stations, and on new vehicles.
On new vehicles you can match the label on the pump with a label near the fuel cap.
E10 and ‘No Biodiesel’ labels
My vehicle has a sticker saying it can use E10 petrol. Can I use E5 petrol?
Yes. E10 is petrol with up to 10% renewable ethanol, but it is safe to use E5 petrol in your vehicle.
E10 petrol is not yet available in the UK. It’s widely available across Europe, the USA, Australia and many other parts of the world. Most vehicles produced since 2000 have been approved to run on E10 petrol as well as E5 petrol.
E10 petrol could be available in the UK in future to help reduce the overall carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of petrol vehicles and meet climate change targets.
My vehicle has a sticker saying ‘No Biodiesel’. Is it OK to use B7 diesel?
Yes, B7 diesel can be used by all diesel vehicles. The fuel has not changed.
Some cars have a sticker saying ‘no biodiesel’ near the fuel filler cap. This is to stop people using very high biodiesel blends, or even 100% biodiesel.