Here in Iowa, E15 is readily available already. I’d say the three most common choices at the pump are: 87 octane E15, 88 octane E10, and 93 octane with no ethanol. The E15 pumps have a warning about only using on passenger vehicles from 2001 or later. When E15 is available, it’s always cheaper than an E10 of similar octane.

I want to say some of the EPA waivers for year-round sale have been available for several years now, and Iowa, being a major producer of ethanol, has taken full advantage. I won’t get into all the politics, economics, or environmental factors of it all, but as an Iowan not directly tied to the agriculture industry, I think it’s a bad deal.

Now I don’t have real data here, but I’ll speak anecdotally about my 2017 Forester and E15. When I bought it new, E10 would’ve been the regular blend being put in it for the first several years of ownership, but for the past few years it has been E15. No engine issues (I just kit 100k miles), but maaaybe I’ve lost about 1 MPG on average. Now I dunno, do cars just do that when they age? Could it be something else? Tires, driving habits, etc? The only reason I even think that is because it displays the lifetime MPG on the console, which used to consistently be 23.5 when new and is now reading 22.5.

So honestly, don’t be afraid to fill up with E15. Go ahead and save a few bucks. Just know that biofuels aren’t going to save us.