Dutch motorists are opting for more expensive petrol since the introduction of greener E10 fuel a year ago, the Telegraaf said on Thursday.

E10, which replaced Euro 95 fuel, contains up to 10% sustainable bioethanol and cars that run on it produce 2% less carbon dioxide on average. But while E10 is cleaner, not all cars are compatible with using it, motoring organisation Bovag warned at the time of the launch.

‘We can see that the ‘cost conscious’ Dutchman is actually shifting to the more expensive E5 petrol, rather than the greener E10,’ Patrick Roozeman, from company petrol card organisation MultiTankcard, told the paper. ‘We can see that very clearly though an analysis of spending patterns.’

Between August 2019 and August 2020, the sale of E5 rose 20%, while the sale of E10 actually fell 5% Roozeman said.

The European-wide introduction of E10 is aimed at reducing dependency on fossil fuels. Petrol stations with fewer than two petrol pumps are exempt from the measure.

Car dealers’ federation Bovag said earlier some 700,000 older cars in total may be unable to use the new fuel because of the risk of corrosion and other issues. The ANWB motoring organisation gave a similar warning.