The pH is one of the quality control parameters of fuel ethanol, established by the Brazilian standard ABNT NBR 10891, whose scope is specific for hydrated fuel ethanol, and by the American standard ASTM D 6423, which focuses on anhydrous ethanol fuel. In this context, the present study presents a critical analysis of the composition of the electrodes used by the different measurement systems for ethanol pH, due to the presence of water in the composition of the glass electrode. Thus, the objective of the present study was to propose a new system for measuring the pH of hydrated fuel ethanol, which was the only solvent used, using acid-base indicators as a reference. Box-Behnken Design made possible to determine the optimal condition expected for the new measurement system, which was compared with the systems proposed by the normative references and later with the pH range defined by the indicators. The results revealed that the pH values obtained by the different systems used, including the one proposed by the present study, are statistically different from each other, and that only the values obtained by the new measurement system are suitable for the pH range found by the indicators. The optimized electrode presented an adequate response sensitivity to the Nernst equation, having an operational behavior adequate to the new measurement system proposed by the present study.