The Government has announced that new rules on the labelling of petrol and diesel at service stations are to be rolled out from September 2019. The labels will help motorists to make sure they have the right fuel for their vehicle, preventing mis-fuelling and enhancing understanding of the fuel's biofuel content.
The Government has made the announcement as part of its response to the road fuel labelling consultation. The response to other aspects of the original consultation - concerning E10 petrol and consumer protection - will be announced later in 2019, the Government says.
The introduction of fuel labelling is required by the European Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive (AFID). The introduction of the labels will be accompanied by a wider public information campaign later this year.
Petrol sold today typically contains up to 5% renewable ethanol, will be labelled ‘E5’, while diesel, which contains up to 7% biodiesel, will be labelled as ‘B7’. The Government says that in 2018, the CO2 savings from using biofuels in road transport was equivalent to taking over a million cars off the UK’s roads.
Welcoming the announcement, Jonathan Murray, LowCVP's Deputy Director and fuels programme lead said: "This move is all about helping motorists to choose the right fuel and to help them understand the renewable fuel content of product sold at the pumps.
"It will also help motorists to understand the benefits of using renewable fuels and how they are an important part of the overall strategy for tackling climate change."
The LowCVP has been working closely with Government representatives and key industry stakeholders to help deliver fuel labelling as mandated by the European directive.