Fuels help

Shell FuelSave Regular Unleaded and Shell V-Power Unleaded never contain more than 5% ethanol. 

As blending a small amount of ethanol into petrol is considered safe for use in today’s vehicles, there is no legal requirement to label it. 

Most vehicles manufactured after 1991 are suitable for petrol with 5% ethanol. Unfortunately we can’t provide advice for specific vehicles due to the wide range of fuel systems used. If you are unsure, contact your vehicle manufacturer for further information.

If you have a historical car, or your manufacturer is no longer in operation, you can find some guidance on The Federation of British Historical Vehicle Clubs’ website. 

Please remember that all advice provided is the view of the Federation of British Historical Vehicle Club, and that Shell accepts no responsibility for third party advice. 

By law, we only sell ethanol-blended petrol. Most outlets are also bound by this legislation. 

We do not sell an additive specifically to be used with ethanol. 

We regret that we can’t compensate our customers for the use of petrol which we are legally required to sell with up to 5% ethanol. We work continuously to ensure our fuels comply at all times with the national specifications for fuel quality.

We support the initiative to reduce CO2 emissions, and recognise blending ethanol into petrol is one of the ways to achieve this. 

We currently have no plans to increase ethanol content in petrol beyond the 5% required by UK law. For the latest information on this legislation, please consult the Department for Transport’s website.

We will align with UK E10 legislation and introduce E10 according to government timings and mandates.

Some reduction in efficiency is unavoidable, as biodiesel has a lower calorific value than diesel. This means that less energy is released upon combustion, so a vehicle achieves fewer miles-per-gallon than when running on pure, oxygen-free diesel. However, biofuels will help to reduce the overall impact of diesel fuels on the environment.

The savings you experience will vary due to the number of factors that affect fuel economy, such as vehicle, driving conditions and driving style.

Tests have shown that Shell FuelSave Regular Unleaded and Diesel can help you save fuel, contributing towards CO₂ emissions reductions associated with transport. However, overall CO2 savings across a market are hard to quantify, as the emissions of each car depend on a wide range of factors. As a result, we make no direct claims in this area. 

Shell FuelSave Regular Unleaded and Diesel are available everywhere in the UK, except a small number of locations in the South West where the products cannot be supplied for logistical reasons.

Both fuels are composed differently and designed to provide different benefits to drivers. Shell FuelSave Regular Unleaded and Diesel have been specifically designed to save fuel, whereas Shell V-Power Unleaded and Shell V-Power Diesel are designed to actively clean your engine.

Shell V-Power Unleaded is also formulated with Friction Modification Technology to help the engine turn more freely, and enhanced 99 RON octane quality to help engines deliver more power.

By using both Shell FuelSave Regular Unleaded or Diesel and Shell Helix Ultra E, you could benefit from additional fuel savings. However, as these products were formulated and tested to work in general usage, not specifically with Shell Helix Ultra E, we cannot quantify this exactly.

You can view our Shell FuelSave tips here, or complete our Shell FuelSave online training here.

Your driving style may contribute to lower fuel consumption, but Shell V-Power Nitro+ fuels have not been designed to specifically to improve fuel efficiency.

Yes, the new formulation is also designed for motorbikes. 

Shell V-Power Nitro+ fuels will continue to be priced on the same basis as previous Shell V-Power fuels.

Shell V-Power Nitro+ fuels will replace Shell V-Power fuels on UK forecourts.

Our technical partnership with Scuderia Ferrari is one of the strongest and most established in the paddock. With our help, Scuderia Ferrari has won 10 constructors’ titles and 12 drivers’ championships. 

Our 50-strong team of technical staff invests over 21,000 hours a year into research and development to give Ferrari the competitive edge in Formula One.

We’ve been actively involved in motorsports since the 1930s, and are dedicated to ensuring this fantastic test bed for technology and innovation continues. Today we are the largest investors in R&D amongst the major oil companies. Our motorsports partnership is just one example of our commitment to develop better fuels for our customers.

The fuel we use at the races is very similar to the Shell V-Power Nitro+ Unleaded you can use in your own car. This is because FIA regulations state that at least 99% of the same types of fuel components we use in the Formula One race fuel must be normally used in road fuels.

For example, both fuels use the same Friction Modification Technology, and you could even run the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One car on Shell V-Power Nitro+ Unleaded road fuel. However, our race fuel does have a different formulation, in order to meet the extreme demands of Formula One. 

Shell V-Power Nitro+ Unleaded is currently not available in Italy. However, all Ferraris that leave Maranello are recommended to use Shell V-Power Unleaded.