Oil companies dispute Karnataka's E20 petrol ethanol findings
IOCL, BPCL and HPCL say their samples met IS 17021 and question how the State's October tests were conducted.
Key facts
Story- Three state-run oil companies reject Karnataka's finding that some petrol had 26% to 31% ethanol.
- The companies say 893 E20 samples from 27 States and Union Territories met IS 17021, including 56 from Karnataka.
- They say the October tests cannot be verified without the sampling records, method and retained samples.
Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum have disputed Karnataka's claim that some petrol sold in the State had ethanol levels of 26% to 31%. The State said the fuel was above the prescribed E20 blend, which is 20% ethanol.
In a joint statement issued on 6 November 2026, the three public sector oil marketing companies said E20 petrol supplied through their retail networks, including in Karnataka, conforms to IS 17021, the Bureau of Indian Standards specification for ethanol-blended motor gasoline. They said 893 E20 samples taken across 27 States and Union Territories, 56 of them from Karnataka, met that standard.
The companies said they could not verify the State's October findings. They pointed to missing documentation, the testing method used and the lack of access to retained samples. They described the reported result as "not supported by testing conducted in accordance with the prescribed statutory and technical procedures".
How sampling is meant to work
Under the 2005 Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Order, read with the Marketing Discipline Guidelines of 2024, fuel sampling follows a set procedure. Six one-litre samples are collected. Two go to the dealer, two are kept by the oil company or the department, and two are sent to an approved laboratory. Sample labels must be jointly signed, and results must be shared with the dealer and oil company within a set time.
The companies said samples from Karnataka's September 2026 exercise went through the State Level Coordinator to OMC laboratories and were tested against the parameters in the 2024 guidelines. They said the October exercise did not follow the same steps, though they did not give full details of the differences.
What readers should know
For motorists in Karnataka, the dispute is about whether fuel at some pumps is correctly blended. The companies have not said whether they will re-test the samples or share their records with the State. Karnataka's government has not yet responded to the companies' statement in the reports available to idly.
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