E20 mileage drop is real — is it pushing you towards CNG, hybrid or EV?

The petroleum ministry has now admitted E20 petrol "may reduce" mileage by 3–5%. Owner surveys paint it worse: 66% report drops of MORE than 10%, and 53% called the rollout disastrous or ineffective. Meanwhile BIS has already notified standards for E22–E30 blends (IS 19850:2026), so higher ethanol is coming, and in June the Attorney General even called the programme an "experiment" in court.

Questions for the community: • Have you measured a real mileage change on E20? Share before/after numbers with your model + fuel station brand. • Older vehicle (pre-2023)? Any injector, hose or cold-start issues? • Is this changing your NEXT purchase — sticking with petrol, or moving to CNG / hybrid / EV?

Sources: theweek.in (govt admission, Jul 2026) · aljazeera.com (owner backlash, Jul 2026) · autocarindia.com (industry response)