After German drivers expressed fear that the new E10 biofuel could damage car engines, tests conducted by a Finnish automobile magazine show that the biofuel also slightly increases fuel consumption.

Several social media users have attacked E10 over the last year with many claiming the new petrol is to blame for high and rising fuel costs.

Overall fuel costs for petrol cars are therefore estimated to increase by 1.6% as a result of moving to E10". Stay abreast with the very latest news with our Birmingham News Email Updates.

The latest 'green' petrol to be introduced into Britain could make cars less fuel efficient and increase harmful emissions, according to a new study. It found significant fuel efficiency drops in four ...

However, super unleaded fuel is more expensive. (Image: Getty) Channel host Jack said the switch to E10 had the "unexpected” consequence of making Super Unleaded fuel much more efficient.

E10 contains 10% bioethanol to 90% petrol, compared to 5% bioethanol in E5. But drivers have taken to social media to say their cars have fuel efficiency far worse than the government's 1% figure.

While E10 is not a miracle fuel in terms of its carbon footprint, it is a step in the right direction, and for a vast majority of road users does not make any difference.

Such risks are, understandably, higher for E85-rated fuel than E10 (10% ethanol) or E15 (15% ethanol), due to the elevated presence of the substance (as much as 85%) in its mixture.

According to the AAA, the national average for 91-93 octane premium fuel (E10 that has 10% ethanol) is $5.35 per gallon. Contrastingly, E85 sells at $3.93, making it over 26% cheaper!

E10 is a type of petrol that contains less carbon than other car fuel, and ethanol, which is a kind of alcohol made from plants like corn, sugars and waste wood.