E15 Sales Hit Record in 2025, RFA Says

U.S. sales of E15 reached a record 1.52 billion gal last year, up 23% from 2024, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) said Thursday based on an analysis it did of data released by state agencies in Minnesota and Iowa.

The increase was due to both increased sales per station and accelerated growth in the number of stations offering E15 across the U.S., according to RFA.

“Total U.S. E15 sales can be estimated using the data for Iowa and Minnesota, given that the two states account for more than a third of U.S. stations offering E15,” RFA stated, adding that they also “are the only two states for which reliable government data exist for E15 sales volumes.”

Reported sales of E15 surged 60% in Iowa to more than 410 million gal, according to RFA, due in part to the state’s E15 Access Standard, which required most retailers to make the fuel available to consumers by the beginning of this year.

That combined with the estimated total of 169 million gal sold in Minnesota amounted to 579 million gal, it said, compared with 428 million gal in 2024.

Across the country, RFA estimates that the number of stations offering E15 rose to 4,600 by the end of 2025, an increase of 900 from the end of 2024.

“This equaled the combined increase over the prior two years,” it said.

EPA on March 25 announced it would issue emergency waivers this summer.

“While these emergency waivers have allowed existing E15 retailers to continue selling E15 through the summer months,” RFA stated, “the uncertainty surrounding their issuance and timing of the waivers have led many retailers who do not currently offer E15 to ‘remain on the sidelines.’

“The best solution for both fuel supply chain participants and American consumers would be passage of legislation permanently allowing year-round sale of E15.”

The organization pointed out that E15 is usually priced at a discount to regular unleaded gasoline.

“Drivers typically save at least 25 cents per gallon when filling up with E15,” it claimed, “and that discount has been even larger over the last month, as gasoline prices have risen sharply due to the military conflict in Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Reporting by Michael Schneider, mschneider@opisnet.com; Editing by Jordan Godwin, jgodwin@opisnet.com