J. curcas oil was tested and results were compared to diesel fuel, Rapeseed oil Methyl Ester and 7 different vegetable oils, coprah, palm, groundnut, cottonseed, rapeseed, soya, and sunflower. Ignition delay was measured and modelled to determine the cetane number of all the lasted fuels. Lab tests provided data on performance, fuel conversion efficiency, specific consumption as well as exhaust gas emissions in two types of diesel engines (indirect injection and direct injection) and a boiler adapted to burn crude rapeseed oil. A long term durability test was also conducted with J. Curcas oil as fuel in a water pump driven by a modified last-generation-direct-injec tion diesel engine. The effect of the process of extraction on the quality of J. curcas as fuel was examined during all the tests. Cetane number of J. curcas oil is close to cottonseed and better than rapeseed, groundnut and sunflower. Specific consumption, power output and efficiencies are very similar among the vegetable oils tested. At same power output, J. curcas oil specific consumption and efficiencies are higher than those of diesel fuel. The lowest exhaust gas emissions levels were obtained with coprah and Jatropha. 1000 hours test with a water pump indicate a good behaviour of Jatropha as fuel and no wear in engine. The quality of J. curcas as fuel is dependent on the process used to extract the oil.