prEN 15376

• Abstract:

  This document specifies requirements and test methods for marketed and delivered ethanol to be used as an extender for automotive fuel for petrol engine vehicles in accordance with the requirements of EN 228 [5]. It is applicable to ethanol used for blending at all levels up to and including 85 % (V/V).; NOTE For the purposes of this document, the term “% (m/m)” and “% (V/V)” are used to represent respectively the mass fraction, µ, and the volume fraction, φ.

• Status: Not Published
• Publication Date: 09-Jul-2028
• ICS: 71.080.60 - Alcohols. Ethers
• ICS: 75.160.20 - Liquid fuels
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 19 - Petroleum products, lubricants and related products
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 19/WG 21 - Specification for unleaded petrol
• Current Stage: 4010 - Start of draft translation - Enquiry
• Start Date: 19-Jun-2026
• Completion Date: 18-Jun-2026
• Directive: Not Harmonized98/70/EC - Quality of petrol and diesel fuels (Dir. 93/12/EEC amendment)
• Mandate: M/344 - Mandate to CEN on Ethanol as an oxygen extender to gasoline
• Ref Project: oSIST prEN 15376:2026 - Automotive fuels - Ethanol as a blending component for petrol - Requirements and test methods

• Revises: EN 15376:2014 - Automotive fuels - Ethanol as a blending component for petrol - Requirements and test methods
• Effective Date: 01-Apr-2026

Overview

prEN 15376:2026, developed by CEN, establishes the requirements and test methods for ethanol used as a blending component in automotive petrol fuels. This draft European Standard defines specifications for ethanol marketed and delivered to be blended at levels up to and including 85% (V/V), ensuring compatibility with petrol engine vehicles as per EN 228. The document provides clarity on quality parameters, test procedures, sampling, additives, denaturing, and climate considerations, supporting regulatory compliance and the broader adoption of ethanol-blended fuels in Europe.

Key Topics

• Quality Requirements for Ethanol
  Ethanol intended for use in petrol blending must meet strict criteria relating to purity, alcohol content, water content, and allowable impurities. The document specifies minimum and maximum values for important properties detected by referenced test methods.

• Test Methods
  Compliance is verified through standardized test procedures, including gas chromatography, spectrometric methods, titration techniques, and visual inspections. These tests determine composition, detect contaminants (such as water, methanol, copper, phosphorus, and sulfur), and assess electrical conductivity and clarity.

• Additives and Denaturants
  Additives, such as anti-corrosion agents, may be included to preserve fuel systems. Permitted denaturants-such as petrol conforming to EN 228, ETBE, MTBE, TBA, isobutanol, and isopropanol-must not compromise vehicle performance or fuel system integrity.

• Sampling and Dispute Resolution
  The standard specifies sampling procedures (referencing EN ISO 3170), with an emphasis on sample integrity. In case of conflicting test results, EN ISO 4259-2 outlines precision and resolution procedures.

• Climate Dependent Considerations
  The standard requires suppliers to ensure that ethanol does not cause water segregation, which could vary with climate and fuel distribution conditions.

Applications

• Petrol Blending Operations
  Ethanol conforming to prEN 15376 is suitable for use in petrol blending at fuel terminals, depots, and refineries, supporting production of fuels with renewable content and compliance with EN 228 requirements for unleaded petrol.

• Fuel Distribution and Compliance
  Fuel retailers and distributors ensure product quality and traceability by adopting these guidelines, minimizing risk of system incompatibility or engine issues in end-users' petrol vehicles.

• Sustainability and Biofuel Programs
  The standard supports European objectives for increased renewable energy use in transport, aligning with directives on fuel quality and emissions reduction. It aids biofuels producers and petrochemical companies in certifying product consistency and regulatory compliance.

• Automotive and Regulatory Testing
  Laboratories implement these methods to verify fuel ethanol quality, facilitate dispute resolution, and support certification and reporting obligations.

Related Standards

• EN 228 - Automotive fuels - Unleaded petrol - Requirements and test methods
• EN 15485, EN 15486, EN 15487 - Determination of sulfur and phosphorus content in ethanol
• EN 15488, EN 15489, EN 15692 - Methods for analyzing copper and water content in ethanol
• EN 15721, EN 15769 - Gas chromatographic and visual methods for impurity determination
• EN 15837, EN 15938 - ICP OES and electrical conductivity determination
• EN ISO 3170, EN ISO 4259-2 - Sampling and test method precision
• EN 16640 - Determination of the bio-based carbon content using the radiocarbon method

Adopting prEN 15376 ensures that ethanol-blended automotive petrol is high quality, environmentally compliant, and compatible with modern vehicle technologies, supporting the EU’s renewable energy transition and fuel standardization efforts.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2026
Goriva za motorna vozila - Etanol kot komponenta za dodajanje motornemu
bencinu - Zahteve in preskusne metode
Automotive fuels - Ethanol as a blending component for petrol - Requirements and test
methods
Kraftstoffe für Kraftfahrzeuge - Ethanol zur Verwendung als Blendkomponente in
Ottokraftstoff - Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren
Carburants pour automobiles - Ethanol comme base de mélange à l'essence -
Exigences et méthodes d'essais
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 15376
ICS:
71.080.60 Alkoholi. Etri Alcohols. Ethers
75.160.20 Tekoča goriva Liquid fuels
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
August 2026
ICS 71.080.60; 75.160.20 Will supersede EN 15376:2014
English Version
Automotive fuels - Ethanol as a blending component for
petrol - Requirements and test methods
Carburants pour automobiles - Ethanol comme base de Kraftstoffe für Kraftfahrzeuge - Ethanol zur Blendung
mélange à l'essence - Exigences et méthodes d'essais in Benzin - Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 19.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2026 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 15376:2026 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
1 Scope . 4
2 Normative references . 4
3 Sampling . 5
4 Requirements and test met . 5
4.1 Dyes and markers . 5
4.2 Additives . 5
4.3 Denaturing . 5
4.4 Generally applicable requirements and related test methods . 5
4.5 Climate dependent requirements . 6
4.6 Precision and dispute . 7
Bibliography . 8

European foreword
This document (prEN 15376:2026) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 19 “Gaseous
and liquid fuels, lubricants and related products of petroleum, synthetic and biological origin”, the
secretariat of which is held by NEN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede EN 15376:2014.
This document has originally been prepared under mandate M/344 given to CEN by the European
Commission and the European Free Trade Association along with other standards intended to be
complementary to the regulatory measures contained in various EU Directives, see [1], [2], [3] and [4].
If (bio)ethanol is meant for use as automotive fuel component, this document applies. It is intended to
call up this European Standard in EN 228 [5], in order to define the quality of (bio)ethanol which is
added/blended to the petrol.
Significant technical changes between this document and the previous edition EN 15376:2014 are:
— removal of dated references based on the decision of CEN/TC 19 to remove all dated references in
fuel specifications ensuring that the latest version applies;
— removal of footnote b in Table 1 for EN 15721 found not necessary considering the low level of
water content specification.
1 Scope
This document specifies requirements and test methods for marketed and delivered ethanol to be used
as an extender for automotive fuel for petrol engine vehicles in accordance with the requirements of
EN 228 [5]. It is applicable to ethanol used for blending at all levels up to and including 85 % (V/V).
NOTE For the purposes of this document, the term “% (m/m)” and “% (V/V)” are used to represent
respectively the mass fraction, µ, and the volume fraction, φ.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 15485, Ethanol as a blending component for petrol — Determination of sulfur content — Wavelength
dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometric method
EN 15486, Ethanol as a blending component for petrol — Determination of sulfur content — Ultraviolet
fluorescence method
EN 15487, Ethanol as a blending component for petrol — Determination of phosphorus content —
Ammonium molybdate spectrometric method
EN 15488, Ethanol as a blending component for petrol — Determination of copper content — Graphit
...