Diesal v Petrol for commuting

w00519772

I was recently offered another job. My commute will change from just a few miles to just over 40 miles.

I currently have a Honda Civic 1.8 IVTEC ES Petrol. I believe I get 45 miles to the gallon. I use to have a Voltswagon Golf 2.0L TDI.

I am thinking about buying another car. I would be interested to hear from other people who commute the same distance as me or more and what car you have/recommend to minimise commuting costs.

I guess I should think about buying a diesel again, however in my experience they tend to be more expensive and depreciate quicker. My dad also believes that I may be "penalised" for owning a diesal in future as they are more of a pollutant (not sure if I agree). Therefore I believe a petrol and diesal balances out?

Obviously_the_best

On 40 miles as long as you aren't in stop-start traffic a diesel probably adds up, but there are so many variables that really it's an impossible question with the info you've provided.

w00519772

Obviously_the_best wrote: »

On 40 miles as long as you aren't in stop-start traffic a diesel probably adds up, but there are so many variables that really it's an impossible question with the info you've provided.

What are the other variables?

Fat_Walt

w00519772 wrote: »

What are the other variables?

Cost to change.

Possible increase in insurance.

Servicing costs and intervals.

Depreciation.

Runningfast

some weeks I have to drive around 40 miles each way every day for the week. For me as I am on the M62 at rush hour it is impossible to work out any meaningful mpg comparison as the traffic is always stop start and I very rarely find long stretches at any one speed which is more economical than going up and down the speedometer etc. The trip computer bounces around 10mpg to 98mpg every few metres etc.

I have done this trip over the last 5 years in every thing from a Land Rover Defender to a 1.6L Petrol to my current 2L diesel etc. I will honestly say there isn't much difference. Now if it was clear roads little traffic and constant speed I would guess the my 2L Diesel would be more economical than the other 2 I have owned. As an example the other week I drove 400 miles in one night (a trip I have done in all of the named vehicles) I spent less for fuel with the 2L diesel than the other two. Very crude way of measuring it!!

I agree with the others so many variables for any meaningful real world comparison.

tacpot12

I love my diesel but only get 50mpg on my commute, so in your situation I wouldn't change my car. It won't make enough of a difference, as it will cost you to change. Your current car is a known quantity; any new car might have new faults. I also think that older diesels are going to be penalised at some point in the future, and newer diesels are prone to problems with their particulate filters.

FreddieFrugal

Driving style has a huge impact on mpg. When I first passed I dove very cautiously and my mpg was always really high. I gradually shifted to being more concerned about getting to places quickly (within speed limits) so I was accelerating quicker and overtaking when there really wasn't much to gain from it - so mpg dropped considerably.

I've now settled into a driving style more similar to how I used to drive.

I just accelerate steadily on my commute, I don't try to get up to 60 as quickly as possible as there's no point - you end up having to slow for someone going 10 miles under the limit, or a queue of traffic or a tractor.

My route there are very few safe places to overtake, so really you're stuck at the speed of the slowest vehicle. Any fuel used to get to 60 in the shortest time possible is completely wasted. You're best just letting yourself gradually get up to speed so you haven't lost anything when you eventually have to slow down.

You get overtaken by the moron behind who wants to drive like a boy racer - but I always smirk when they then have to jam the brakes on instantly and I end up just following on behind them. They're stuck in the same queue as everyone else.


Point is by altering my driving style to be less like the boy racer - my mpg has gone from mid 50s to low 60s - but journey time is exactly the same. No difference at all.




Unless the cost of changing your vehicle is small - you're unlikely to gain by changing to try and get lower running costs. It would only be if your current car is a complete gas guzzler.

But it doesn't sound like it! 45mpg from a 1.8 petrol is pretty good! Especially on a short commute, if that's mostly in town.

Obviously_the_best

w00519772 wrote: »

What are the other variables?

Cost of changing car? How many MPG new car does? Servicing costs? Cost of consumables (tyres, brake pads etc)? Insurance costs? Tax?

Loads of them.

loskie

if your current car goes well enough you will save nothing by changing plus you will be buying an unknown entity

tripled

A month ago we bought a hatchback with one of those 1.4 diesel engines that are £30 pa to tax. It cost 1500 quid and is doing 60 to the gallon. Insurance is around 250 quid pa for us. Depreciation isn't an issue because compared to the running costs of our last car (an aging 2.0 diesel Zafira with 200k on it and in need of TLC) it should pay for itself within two years, taking into account what we sold it for.

It will comfortably do a generous 70mph on a motorway for hours at a stretch. It also easily handles the 30 mile round trip on a mixture of town and country driving to work each day. I put over 300 miles on it yesterday on a mixture of A/B road and motorway without issue, using less than half a tank of fuel.

Its only drawback is it can be a little underpowered for overtaking on single carriageways at higher speeds, such as overtaking an articulated lorry doing 50+, unless you have a good clear stretch of road. However, that doesn't really bother me on the daily commute because there's enough traffic that I won't get anywhere by overtaking one anyway. It's fine getting past tractors and slowpokes.

C_Mababejive

I also have a civic 1.8 ivtec. As you suggest, the fuel economy is very good. The other day i was on a run and it clocked 47mpg allegedly.

If i were you i would keep the honda.

Why?

Almost unparalleled reliability
Great fuel economy
Great all rounder.

What not to like?