Some of the most popular family cars will be unable to use a new fuel the government hopes to roll out in an effort to cut carbon emissions.

Hundreds of thousands of vehicles, including Volkswagen, Ford and Nissan models, are not compatible with E10 petrol, which has already been introduced across the EU, US and Australia.

E10 is considered a greener alternative fuel as it is made up of 10 per cent bioethanol, rather than the 5 per cent found in regular petrol.

The Department for Transport (DfT) launched a consultation last month on its proposal to encourage larger forecourts to sell E10 to help the UK meet climate change targets.

The majority of vehicles in use today are approved to be fuelled with this new petrol, but some older vehicles are not.

New analysis by motoring research charity the RAC Foundation shows that many cars still in regular use are incompatible with the fuel.

It found that by 2020 there will still be an estimated 28,066 Volkswagen Golfs on the road that would be affected, more than any other model.

10 models that will have most registered E10 incompatible cars in 2020 Volkswagen Golf (28,066) MG MGB (20,890) Mazda MX-5 (18,162) Nissan Micra (15,785) Morris Minor (12,796) Rover 25 (9,879) MG MGF (9,352) Ford Escort (8,947) Rover Mini (7,614) MG TF (7,568)

Other models in the top 10 incompatibility list include the Nissan Micra, Rover 25 and Ford Escort.

In total, 634,309 petrol cars will be in use but incompatible with E10 in 2020, according to the research.

Of these, 150,000 will have been manufactured from the year 2000 onwards.

“As and when E10 appears on the forecourts, drivers need to know whether their cars can use it without being damaged,” said Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation.

“This analysis shows that even in a couple of years’ time there will still be hundreds of thousands of cars on our roads that are incompatible with the new fuel.

“While some of the cars incompatible with E10 fuel will be historic models, many will be old but serviceable everyday runarounds that people on a tight travel budget rely on to get about.”

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The DfT is proposing to introduce a requirement for larger filling stations to continue to stock standard petrol in an E5 grade if they decide to add an E10 option, in a bid to ensure the owners of older vehicles can continue to drive.

“The good news is both that the vast majority of cars on our roads are able to run on E10 and that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has recognised the need to protect the users of those older vehicles that are not E10 compatible.

“It will be interesting to see whether the current consultation generates support for the government’s proposed way forward.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “This government is ambitiously seeking to reduce the UK’s reliance on imported fossils fuels and cut carbon emissions from transport. But drivers of older vehicles should not be hit hard in the pocket as a result.

“The E10 petrol consultation will give a better understanding of the impact of E10 on the UK market, and to ensure that drivers are protected if any changes come into effect.”

Though bioethanol is a renewable energy source, it is not without controversy as it is made by fermenting crops such as corn and sugar cane.

When E10 was rolled out in Germany, it faced a backlash from local green groups such as Greenpeace and the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU).

The conversion of land to farms to supply bioethanol has been tied with the destruction of forests and wetlands, a process which in itself releases large quantities of carbon emissions.