NEARLY 1 M CARS IN E10 PETROL RISK

Almost one million cars, many from major manufacturers, are unable to use a new fuel which may soon be introduced to British forecourts.

Popular models from VW, Ford and Nissan are among the 868,000 cars which research suggests could be damaged by the use of E10 petrol.

The Department for Transport (DFT) is currently holding a consultation on proposals to encourage larger filling stations to stock the more environmentally friendly fuel.

It uses 10 per cent bioethanol rather than the 5 per cent currently standard in this country. Higher bioethanol levels reduce the carbon output from burning the fuel.

While most modern cars can run on the fuel, the research from the RAC Foundation shows that hundreds of thousands, including around 150,000 built after 2000, are incompatible with it.

Taking into account older cars being scrapped it estimates that by 2020, there will be 634,309 E10 incompatible cars on Britain’s roads. Among them are an estiated m 2 8,000 Vwgolfs, 1 8,000 Mazda MX-5S, 1 5,000 Nissan Micrasand nearly 9,000 Ford Escorts.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said that while some of the affected cars will be pampered classics many more will be low-cost daily drivers for families on low incomes. protected if any changes come into effect.”