It's official! Petrols are now cheaper to run than diesels!!!!!

almillar

The 330d engine is 6 cylinder as opposed to 4 cylinder so a bit of an unfair comparison, it will be much smoother and quieter (especially once warm) than most diesels.

laidbackgjr

Notmyrealname wrote: »

Except you forget to factor in the higher resale value of a diesel so the difference in purchase price is recouped mostly. My Mondeo diesel costs no more to service than the petrol. In fact it is probably less as there are no spark plugs to buy every 40k nor coil packs/leads to replace.

Depreciation = Difference between Purchase price and Resale price, so yes considered.

When I was looking at buying my Peugeot 407 for similar spec new the diesel was £2k more than the petrol and for 12 month old cars the diesel was £1k more than the petrol. So in year one the diesel depreciates by £1k more than the petrol, you need to buy a lot of fuel to save the £1k extra depreciation you got with the diesel.

JethroUK

GolfBravo wrote: »

There are just way too many variables to conclude that petrols are cheaper to run than diesels. .

Quite - but Google have crunched the numbers and concluded Petrols make journey costs cheaper (not including servicing, tax, other variables)

I'm inclined to accept their research

anotherbaldrick

But the Diesel is fantastic for shaking the neighbours from the arms of Morpheus on a Sunday morning . Well worth the effort.

andygb

foofi22 wrote: »

I think your missing the point, this isn't a comparison of mpg figures torque or whatever.

It's a comparison of running costs which includes:
a) Fuel
b) Depreciation
c) Servicing
d) Initial cost

Now we know that diesels are generally better mpg wise, but we also know that servicing costs are generally higher and initial costs are also higher. So you may be 'saving' money doing 55-60mpg but it costs you more in the first place!

This whole argument is based on buying a new car, which is not very MSE after all.
If we sell our 1.6 petrol car, which is averaging 32MPG (absolutely appaling) for £6500 and then buy a diesel for around £6000, that gives us a chance to service it, and immediately enjoy 50MPG.
From the moment we buy the diesel and put fuel in it, we are saving loadsamoney.

thefishdude

i agree with last reply if you not buying the car new thats its complete rubbish lol. my disel cost me £1500 is 10 years old can carry 5 adults and tow a trailer full of camping stuff and still get 50mpg and with just me and the missus it got 57mpg last week average on a 180mile run. it aint fast ill grant you b ut that suits my driving style lol

Delivery_Driver

Notmyrealname wrote: »

Except you forget to factor in the higher resale value of a diesel so the difference in purchase price is recouped mostly. My Mondeo diesel costs no more to service than the petrol. In fact it is probably less as there are no spark plugs to buy every 40k nor coil packs/leads to replace.

Can't argue with that.I'm not your typical diesel driver, I do tiny mileage in mine, only 2-3k per year and as I bought it at 7 years old depreciation wasn't something I had to worry about.The only things I've had to replace are a wishbone a cv boot clip(both of which would go just as easily on a petrol) and the injector seals.Not bad for nearly 3 years motoring.
The Renault dci engine is very quiet once warmed up and t pootles about nicely in traffic, returning over 40mpg on town driving and 55mpg combined if I mix in some motorway driving.
It doesn't have a DPF but does have a manky EGR valve that I cleaned when I bought it and is probably ready for another clean now.
Its far from a brilliant car but it does what I want it to for now, has low insurance, cheap tax, good mpg and hasn't let me down yet.

luap2411

I think it's impossible to make a categoric decision, as mentioned there are too many variables.

Generally though I would suspect diesels are more economical if bought new and run for 3-4 years, doing longer journeys and higher mileage. Though some of this is down to the lower depreciation rates based on the desirability in the 2nd hand market.

These newer diesels are probably the one's to watch with interest as more come on the market 2nd and 3rd hand. Turbos, DPF's, DMF's, Intercoolers, HP Fuel Pumps, Injectors, EGR's, Complex EM systems etc tend not to fail in the first few years, but if and when they do can have a huge impact on the real overall cost of running.

Older diesels tend not to have as much complexity, so should be less problematic 2nd hand.

Interestingly there seem to be a few manufacturers launching smaller turbocharged petrol engined cars which seem to have very good MPG. I wonder though how these will fair as they get on a little, compared to normally aspirated petrol engines.

Personally I think the "100% belief that diesel is always cheaper" bubble is starting to burst, and this will affect the diesel residuals as people begin to understand the true running costs of cars.

Again I think it is all dependant on your individual circumstances, and worth doing your own calculations. But I suspect petrol, certainly in the 2nd hand and lower mileage market is a better bet than many people would think.

Notmyrealname

laidbackgjr wrote: »

Depreciation = Difference between Purchase price and Resale price, so yes considered.

When I was looking at buying my Peugeot 407 for similar spec new the diesel was £2k more than the petrol and for 12 month old cars the diesel was £1k more than the petrol. So in year one the diesel depreciates by £1k more than the petrol, you need to buy a lot of fuel to save the £1k extra depreciation you got with the diesel.

17,000 miles was enough to recoup £1000 with my Mondeo over the petrol variant.

alastairq

Does the apparently vast price difference between U/L 95 octane petrol...and diesel not make any difference?

I run a 14 year old £300 1.3 petrol estate, which returns between 45 and 50 mpg...depending on how much of a hurry I happen too be in.

It costs less per year to tax than the equivalent model's diesel version...or indeed, many diesels.

it has the advantage of having modern, electronically-controlled engine management.....fuel inj, etc...and this alone makes a surprising difference to fuel economy compared to older technologies [carbs, spi, etc]

I probably travel a modest 15k a year in it, mostly open road commuting, but some urban stuff too...

I seriously doubt I could find a low end [price-wise] diesel, with the same cheap service and repair costs, to beat it.

For those who think 35mpg on petrol is appalling?

Well, how times have changed?

What seems to me to be not so long ago in my driving life, 35mpg was considered excellent...with sub-20 mpgs being worrying!



Another advantage of petrol?

Well, with the recent mass hysteria over fuel..[what else can you call it?]....with fuel retailers running out......there always seems to be a petrol pump still going......