Due to the environmental benefits that come from the use of renewable energy resources; the trend toward the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the sustainability of present fossil fuels, many vehicle operators have expressed interest to us in operating their Mercedes-Benz vehicles on commercially available “bio-fuel” blends.

We wish to advise our esteemed customers on our position with regards to use of bio-fuel blends in Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

1. Diesel – The European fuel industry has adopted a standard for biodiesel fuel which is covered under fuel standard EN14214. This standard details the necessary requirements relating to biodiesel chemical and flow properties. A blend of up to 5%bio-diesel (also known as B5) is permitted for use in Mercedes-Benz diesel powered vehicles. The diesel fuel must conform to EN590 standard and the bio-diesel (FAME) share to EN14214. Blending a biodiesel fuel with standard diesel fuel which does not meet the EN14214 (bio diesel) and EN590 (standard diesel) standards respectively may have the potential to damage your vehicle’s fuel delivery and fuel injection system and affect exhaust emission control systems.

2. Petrol – Use of petrol fuel blend containing up to a maximum of 10% Ethanol (also known as E10) is permitted. Use of fuel with an ethanol content higher than 10% may result in engine malfunction, starting and operating difficulties and materials degradation. These adverse effects could result in permanent damage to your vehicle.

E10 fuel can be used on most passenger cars and 4WD vehicles with the exception of:

• Vehicles with high performance engines (AMG)
• Vehicles manufactured before 1986 (e.g. W116)
• Vehicles with first generation direct fuel injection engines (CGI)

The petrol fuel must conform to EN228 requirements

It should also be noted that when using ethanol blended fuels an increase in fuel consumption can be expected due to the lower energy content of ethanol.

Please note that Mercedes-Benz strongly recommends that you use only high-quality fuels from a commercially available sources whether diesel, biodiesel, or gasoline as the fuel manufacturers take great care to deliver products that meet the required fuel standards. We must also stress that vehicle damage that results from misfueling or from the usage of substandard, non-approved or privately blended fuels may affect your new vehicle manufacturer’s warranty.