As the government plans to move towards a higher ethanol blending in fuel, Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker, has unveiled the flex-fuel version of the WagonR, ahead of World Environment Day on June 5, 2026. With this, it has become the country’s first flex-fuel vehicle. It is E85-compliant (blended fuel with up to 85 per cent ethanol).
Maruti WagonR Flex-Fuel: What Is It?
As mentioned above, this new WagonR is capable of running on up to 85% ethanol blended fuel. While it looks identical to the regular E20 version, the brand has carried out some major changes underneath the hood to make it greener and future fuel-ready.
What Powers The Maruti WagonR Flex-Fuel?
The WagonR flex-fuel utilises the same 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder K12N petrol engine as the regular model, albeit with several changes to engine & fuel system components, along with different calibration to handle the corrosive nature and higher flow requirements of ethanol compared to petrol. That said, it can run seamlessly on any ethanol blend ranging from E20 to E85. Nevertheless, Maruti Suzuki has not yet revealed any specifications regarding power output or fuel efficiency for the Wagon R flex fuel.
Maruti WagonR Flex-Fuel Benefits: Will It Save Your Money?
Given the current market conditions, the answer to this is not straightforward. On paper, the aim of flex-fuel or fuels with higher ethanol blends is to reduce our dependence on imported crude oil and curb air pollution. However, for this to happen, ethanol must be produced locally, in accordance with our requirements, so that the government can pass on the benefit of its lower cost to the end consumer, which will help to reduce the overall running cost. However, there are a few catches: –
- Upfront Cost: We all know that flex-fuel vehicles require hardware-level upgrades, which is why they are likely to be slightly more expensive than the ongoing E20 versions.
- Mileage Drop: Since ethanol has a lower energy density than petrol, it delivers lower mileage. That said, with a higher ethanol blend, you will require frequent refuelling. And if the government doesn’t provide you with any cost benefit on higher-ethanol-blended fuel, as it has done with the E20 fuel, your overall operating costs will increase.
- Limited Infrastructure: E85 fuel pumps are scarce, as higher ethanol-blended fuel requires separate dispensers and storage facilities from the regular E20 fuel. However, the government has stated that it will roll out up to 5,000 E85 dispensers by the end of 2027 across the nation. In the initial phase, 50 to 100 dispensing stations will be established in the Delhi-NCR and Mumbai-Pune-Nagpur corridor. This will be expanded to 500 stations by December this year.
Furthermore, ethanol-blended fuel has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, which you can read about by tapping on the link provided here.
Maruti WagonR Flex-Fuel: Price
Prices of the WagonR Flex-Fuel are yet to be revealed. However, it is worth noting that as of now, it will only be available to fleet operators and cab aggregators such as Ola, Uber and Rapido.
Related: Gaadify Opinion – Things Needed To Be Done Before The Introduction of E30 Petrol
