New EU legislation requires that all countries across Europe change to standardised biofuels labelling formats which match the new labels appearing on new vehicles to help make choosing the right fuel as simple as possible for consumers.
These labels are being introduced on fuel dispensers and nozzles at all service stations and on new vehicles across Europe. New vehicles will have the label close to the fuel filler cap and in the handbook, so you can match the label on the vehicle to the fuels available at the forecourt.
The petrol label always uses a circle. ‘E’ together with a number in the circle indicates the biofuel (bioethanol) that may be contained in the petrol and its maximum content. For example, petrol labelled E5 may contain up to 5% bioethanol.
The diesel fuel label always uses a square. ‘B’ together with a number in the square indicates the biofuel (biodiesel) that may be contained in the diesel fuel and its maximum content. Therefore, diesel fuel labelled B7 may contain up to 7% biodiesel.
E10 is a grade of petrol that may contain up to 10% bioethanol. It is already sold in parts of Europe as well as the USA and Australia but not in the UK yet. Most vehicles produced since 2000 are able to run on E10 petrol. Vehicles that can run on E10 can also run on E5 petrol and, for new vehicles, will typically have both labels by the fuel filler cap.
E10 could be available in the UK in the future as a way of helping to reduce the carbon emissions from petrol vehicles and meet climate change targets.
Yes. All vehicles that can use current diesel fuel can safely use bp Ultimate Diesel or bp regular diesel. B7 labels are appearing on new diesel vehicles but some older cars may have a label saying ‘no biodiesel’ by the fuel filler cap. This only refers to diesel fuel containing much higher proportions of biodiesel (i.e. more than 7%).
However, if you are still unsure or concerned, we recommend you check with your dealer or the vehicle manufacturer.
Biofuels have been added to fuels in the UK for over 10 years. That’s because they reduce the carbon emissions from the millions of vehicles already on the roads - with no additional effort required by motorists - and our reliance on fossil fuels.
In 2018, using renewable fuels in road fuels in the UK reduced overall CO2 emissions by around 2.7 million tonnes; that’s the equivalent of taking more than a million cars off the road.