Eau de petrol? The new fragrance for petrol heads driving electric vehicles

We like to think we’re pretty passionate about cars here at Express Lube. We love the hum of a powerful engine, we love getting under the bonnet to the bottom of a problem, and we love seeing our customers drive away once we’ve fixed it. But even we were surprised to hear that Ford has developed a fragrance to evoke the smell of driving a traditional ICE vehicle for those who have transitioned to an electric one.

The new fragrance was developed by Ford of Europe for the manufacturer’s EV-driving customer base, specifically those driving the Mustang Mach-E, who miss the chemical tang of petroleum while driving their silent, scent-free cars. Named Mustang Mach-Eau GT, it’s described as a ‘petrol-inspired’ scent, with notes of ‘new car smell’ to recreate the experience of driving a non-electric car.

In a media statement, Ford said the Mach-Eau GT fragrance is inspired by “chemicals that are emitted from car interiors, engines and petrol” – including benzaldehyde, “an almond-like scent given off by car interiors”, and para-cresol which is “key in creating the rubbery scent of tyres”. These delicate notes were created with ginger, lavender, sandalwood and geranium among other ingredients to create the smells we associate with driving.

Before you start your search on Google, it’s not available to the public to buy. But will this idea see other manufacturers or perfumeries create something similar? After all, a glance at the results of a survey Ford commissioned to gauge enthusiasm for the fragrance reveals that petrol is a surprisingly popular scent. In the survey, petrol ranked equal to books and higher than both wine and cheese. 

We’re not sure whether Mach-Eau GT is our cup of tea, but who knows – we haven’t made the switch to EVs yet! 

Perfume aside, there are some car smells you need to act on fast. Check out our six car smells that mean it’s time for a service article.