In the last 20 years, more than 40 million cars equipped with a flex engine have hit the streets of Brazil. In these cases, owners can choose to fuel their vehicles with gasoline or ethanol. But which one is more advantageous and when is it worth it? It all depends on the price of each fuel.
In the last week, more specifically during the period from March 24th to March 30th, the average price of regular gasoline in Brazil was R$5.74, according to the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). On the other hand, the liter of ethanol was found for an average value of R$ 3.59.
With the difference of R$ 2.15, biofuel appears to be more advantageous for the consumer’s wallet. However, the calculation is not that simple. This is because it is still I need to consider that car consumption is higher when fueled with ethanol.
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According to Everton Lopes, Combustion Energy engineer and mentor at SAE Brasil, the key to knowing which of the two fuels is more worthwhile lies in their composition.
“Gasoline has more energy content than ethanol. It means that gasoline has 30% more energy per liter than ethanol. This results in a longer vehicle range when you fill up with gasoline. In theory, if we were to compare reals by energy content, the gasoline should be 30% more expensive than ethanol. This is an appropriate relationship”, he says.
- See the 10 states with the most expensive gasoline in Brazil
Therefore, it is simple to know which of the two is worth it: just divide the price of a liter of ethanol by the price of gasoline. If the result is less than 0.70, it is more advantageous to fill up with ethanol. Otherwise, it’s worth paying for gasoline.
Making this calculation and considering the average prices of the two fuels, Filling up with ethanol is only worth it in 10 Brazilian states: Acre, Amazonas, Federal District, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. If you live elsewhere, opt for gasoline. See below:
Where is it worth filling up with ethanol?
| state | Average price of gasoline | Average ethanol price | Difference in price breakdown |
| Acre (AC) | R$ 6.87 | BRL 4.71 | 0.69 |
| Alagoas (AL) | R$ 5.70 | R$ 4.03 | 0.71 |
| Amapá (AP) | R$ 5.58 | R$ 4.94 | 0.89 |
| Amazonas (AM) | R$ 6.33 | R$ 4.31 | 0.68 |
| Bahia (BA) | R$ 5.92 | R$ 4.26 | 0.72 |
| Ceará (CE) | R$ 5.84 | R$ 4.36 | 0.75 |
| Federal District (DF) | R$ 5.49 | R$ 3.51 | 0.64 |
| Espírito Santo (ES) | R$ 5.75 | R$ 4.01 | 0.70 |
| Goiás (GO) | R$ 5.81 | R$ 3.76 | 0.65 |
| Maranhão (MA) | R$ 5.53 | R$ 4.17 | 0.75 |
| Mato Grosso (MT) | R$ 5.84 | R$ 3.12 | 0.53 |
| Mato Grosso do Sul (MS) | R$ 5.63 | R$ 3.42 | 0.61 |
| Minas Gerais (MG) | R$ 5.59 | R$ 3.58 | 0.64 |
| Pará (PA) | R$ 5.76 | R$ 4.20 | 0.73 |
| Paraíba (PB) | R$ 5.65 | R$ 3.99 | 0.71 |
| Paraná (PR) | R$ 5.99 | R$ 3.85 | 0.64 |
| Pernambuco (PE) | R$ 5.88 | R$ 4.28 | 0.73 |
| Piauí (PI) | R$ 5.52 | R$ 3.98 | 0.72 |
| Rio de Janeiro – RJ) | R$ 5.73 | R$ 3.98 | 0.69 |
| Rio Grande do Norte (RN) | R$ 6.11 | R$ 4.70 | 0.77 |
| Rio Grande do Sul (RS) | R$ 5.64 | R$ 4.30 | 0.76 |
| Rondônia (RO) | R$ 6.13 | R$ 4.77 | 0.78 |
| Roraima (RR) | R$ 6.15 | R$ 4.82 | 0.78 |
| Santa Catarina (SC) | R$ 5.86 | R$ 4.12 | 0.70 |
| Sao Paulo-SP) | R$ 5.62 | R$ 3.43 | 0.61 |
| Sergipe (SE) | R$ 6.10 | R$ 4.32 | 0.71 |
| Tocantins (TO) | R$ 5.88 | R$ 4.09 | 0.70 |
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