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Cost of Motoring

Buyers may be wasting money on diesel cars

Hundreds of thousands of drivers choosing diesel new cars could be wasting money instead of saving it, according to research by Parker's.

Increases in the cost of diesel at the pump and price rises for new diesel cars are now preventing drivers from saving money by choosing diesel.

Many popular models need high six figure mileage to recoup the extra expense and some diesels always cost more than the petrol alternative at current forecourt prices.

Several years ago, the price of diesel on the forecourt was within a penny or two of unleaded. But recently the price of diesel has been significantly higher than petrol making it more difficult to save money choosing a new diesel car.

Parker's has cut through the confusion with a new calculator that shows whether diesel will save you money.

Go to www.parkers.co.uk/cars/petrol-vs-diesel/ and choose the new car you are interested in. Depending on what you have chosen, the calculator will choose a similar priced petrol or diesel alternative from the same range.

It will then tell you much of a saving the diesel is likely to make per 1000 miles, and how far the car will have to travel to recoup any premium if the diesel version is more expensive.

In a few cases the diesel will be both cheaper to buy and to run, and occasionally no diesel can be found that's cheaper to run than the petrol car selected.

On cars where there is parity between the new prices for petrol and diesel models - such as the Jaguar XF - your first tank of fuel will take you further in the diesel model so you start saving money

straight away.

Petrol model Diesel model Diesel premium Mileage to break even
Audi A3 S/back 1.8 TFSI SE S/back 2.0 TDI SE   £300    23,719
Audi A4 Avant 1.8 TFSI SE  2.0 TDI (143) SE   £1350    88,578
Audi A6 2.8 FSI S Line auto  2.7 TDI S Line auto   £750    41,639
BMW 318i SE saloon  318d SE saloon   £2690    287,356
BMW 530i SE auto   530d SE auto   £355    Diesel auto won’t break even
BMW X5 xDrive30i SE auto xDrive30d SE auto   £365    25,268
Citroen C4 1.6 VTi SX 5dr  1.6 HDi (110) SX   £1500    88,212
Citroen C5 1.8i VTR+ 4dr  1.6 HDi VTR+   £1000    42,372
Ford Focus 1.6 Style 5dr  1.6 TDCi Style 5dr   £1000    45,132
Ford Mondeo 2.0 Ghia 5dr  2.0 TDCi 5dr   £1650    93,291
Ford S-MAX 2.5 Titanium  2.2 TDCi Titanium   £550    21,715
Honda Civic 1.8i-VTEC EX 5dr  2.2i-CTDi EX 5dr   £1300 137,278
Honda Accord 2.0i ES GT saloon

2.2i-DTEC ES GT saloon 

 £1800    143,632
Honda CR-V 2.0i-VTEC ES  2.2i-CTDi ES   £1300    108,904
Jaguar XF 3.0 V6 Premium Lux 2.7d Premium Luxury   £0    0
Mazda2 1.3 TS2 3dr  Mazda2 1.4D TS2 3dr   £1275    172,391
Mazda6 1.8 TS 5dr   2.2d TS (125) 5dr   £979    85,923
Mercedes-Benz C200K SE auto  C220 CDI SE auto   £1025    172,179
Mercedes-Benz CLS350 CGI  CLS320 CDI   -£700    Diesel cheaper to buy and run
MINI Clubman Cooper (Chili)  1.6D Cooper (Chili)     £1160   

99,531
Nissan Micra 1.4 Acenta 3dr  1.5 dCi (86) Acenta 3dr  £860    52,029
Nissan Qashqai 2.0 Tekna  2.0 dCi Tekna   £1400    149,379
Peugeot 207 1.6 Sport 3dr  1.6 HDi (110) Sport 3dr  £1100    97,838
Peugeot 308 1.6 VTi S 5dr  1.6 HDI (110) S 6sp 5dr  £1500    96,133
Renault Clio 1.2 TCE Dyn 5dr  1.5 dCi Dynamique 5dr £950    76,717
Renault Megane Coupe 1.6 Exp 1.5 dCi (106) Expression  £1450 53,702
SEAT Leon 1.4 TSI Stylance  1.9 TDI Stylance  £530    54,366
Toyota Yaris 1.3 VVTi-TR 5dr  1.4 D-4D TR 5dr  £1000    84,376
Toyota RAV4 2.0 VVT-i XT-R 2.2 D-4D XT-R  £1250    74,178
Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 SXi 3dr  1.3 CDTi 90 SXi 3dr   £290    33,796
Vauxhall Astra 1.6i Club  1.7 CDTi Club   £1285    123,614
Vauxhall Insignia 1.8 SE 4dr 2.0 CDTi SE 4dr   £1500    90,850
VW Golf 1.4 TSI SE 5dr  2.0 TDI (110bhp) SE 5dr  £970    61,787   
VW Passat 2.0T Sport  2.0 TDI 170 Sport   £80    4053
Volvo V50 1.6S  1.6D DRIVe S £2315 78,185

 * Break even points change daily, as fuel prices fluctuate. For the latest information click here.

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Have your say

Post a comment and tell us what you think about this article.

Added: 02 March 2010 06:08

Do none of you ever consider that you will blow £1500 - £5000 on a single/family holiday that lasts 10-14 days and then whinge about a few hundred pounds for fuel for a car you use for at least 50 weeks per year and if you take it on holiday then 52 weeks!! Wake up you people life is about pleasure and enjoyment not living like Scrooge.
John, Stafford
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Added: 02 March 2010 06:06

All I see here is numbers, numbers and more numbers. Are all you people so soul-less that you have forgotten (or maybe you never learnt) that having and owning a car is not just about fuel bills and repair or running costs. You all give the impression that you are Accountants or Anoraks!! What about the sheer pleasure of just owning a car for the cars sake because it is a beautiful car and gives you great pleasure when you drive it?
John, Stafford
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Added: 02 March 2010 05:58

All I see here is numbers, numbers and more numbers. Are all you people so soul-less that you have forgotten (or maybe you never learnt) that having and owning a car is not just about fuel bills and repair or running costs. You all give the impression that you are Accountants or Anoraks!! What about the sheer pleasure of just owning a car for the cars sake because it is a beautiful car and gives you great pleasure when you drive it?
John, Stafford
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Have Your Say!
Added: 09 January 2010 16:37
Add this to the diesel vs petrol debate. one of the big costs in cars is worn out or rusted exhaust systems. Diesel ones seem to last forever which outweigh cost of servicing issues. Service intervals are same or better. I have had peugeot diesels for years. All the old mechanical injector pump ones were great but I have a 307 2.0 hdi and the fuel consumption is awful. Struggle to get 38 mpg av with really gentle driving.
Hugh L, Taunton

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Added: 01 January 2010 15:41
The only sure route to avoid the MASSIVE COST of replacement for DPF's is DON'T GO THERE unless you have someone else picking up the tab(and at what cost,cash or kind!!!!!???).The mileage needed to be covered in a DPF equipped vehicle to save money over and above the identical petrol powered vehicle would be huge,by which time the diesel would likely not be worth the costs incurred(the equivelant of uneconomical repair/write off).The cost of owning, running/maintaining a car is expensive enough.
John Shepherd, UpHolland,Skelmersdale

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Added: 01 January 2010 14:50
I am currently considering a new car and one issue to add to the equation is the DPF systems fitted in newer cars. They seem to be problematic, prone to failure, designed for replacement within a few years and cost £1000 - £2000. They are also not covered under warranty. Given the costly time bomb and potential for the hassle the potential unreliability would bring I am sorely tempted to go for petrol. What makes it more difficult is that my 2004 BMW 330D was a fabulous car and gave 40mpg
John Rees, Rotherham

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Added: 04 November 2009 09:38
Hi to you all.I stick with my original post on this matter and indeed if an accurate/honest figure could be produced I am sure a great many more would wake up with the smell of coffee in their nostrils.Diesel savings can only be true!!?? savings by the people that do not have to purchase,service & maintain & pay for the fuel.I mean none private individuals.Company/Business and people that can offset the expense against tax etc are the only real winners.For them it's a Double Win Wallop.
John Shepherd, UpHolland,Skelmersdale

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Added: 04 November 2009 09:11
Diesel only works if you can afford new or nearly new.

When you are looking at £900 for a diesel fuel pump or £500 for a blown injector it soon wipes out your fuel savings AND back street garages often can't do big jobs on modern diesels so you are stuck with main dealer prices.

If you're like me & buy cars over 3 years old stick to petrol - the diesel repair bills will cripple you!
Mike, Ipswich

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Added: 08 October 2009 17:12
Driven a 2001 Golf 1.9 tdi for 5 years. Can get around 60-65 mpg at 60mph. Mid-range torque is great. Its a bit noisy when cold other than that has not put foot wrong. I do around 280 miles per week. If you do that many miles, diesel is the best choice. Just buy a good one with fsh.
T, Brighton

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Added: 13 September 2009 20:50
If you live in london where there is a heavy traffic and thousands of red lights waiting for you then best people to ask are black cap drivers. I did. Next time you see, ask as well.

They all said similar things "if we don't use diesels then we will give all the money we earn to petrol stations".

Unless you are intending to buy your car to rest it at home then buy petrol. I did for my wife but I will never drive a petrol car myself. Regards

Mehmet, London

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Added: 22 April 2009 20:16
My Polo tdi 1.4 costs £35 pa Tax. Wife's Lupo 1.0 petrol £120 pa. Polo really does 59 mpg (manually check each week) Lupo only 45mpg. That's 34% better. Diesel costs more (11% where we live) but the Polo has so much more torque, fun and reliability there is no comparison! Loved my past petrol Golfs very much but the 1.4 tdi can even do 50mpg at 90mph on the motorway. Servicing both cars costs the same honest! Lupo despite 1.0 not cheap to service it has leads and plugs.
Roger, Liskeard

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Added: 10 April 2009 22:57
I bought a 56 Toyota Yaris a year ago and it does 60mpg on petrol. That includes pottering about town and the 80 mile trip to Edinburgh. Fantastic.
Pauline Cropper, Blairgowrie

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Added: 06 April 2009 11:42
I would just like to say that every petrol i have owned has never given me the MPG i would like, i have a 206 (98 Plate) 1.9 Diesel and i can manage over 50mpg from every tank, not many new petrols can do that, so what is happeneing with the so called new technology in petrol? LPG is the way forward until Hydrogen has come down in manufacturing costs.
Stuart Bell, Swadlincote, Derbyshire

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Added: 22 March 2009 00:26
After 7 years of owning diesels, i have just changed to an "economical" 1300cc petrol car and wished i hadn't bothered. Yes - if i drive like a pensioner it will do 40mpg but i daren't pull out to overtake lorries etc. Diesel is 15% dearer than petrol but an equivalent diesel car can be 75% more economical. So whether you do 50 or 500 miles a week, you are always saving money. My Passat turbo diesel estate would do over 50mpg (with the aircon running). Try that with a family sized petrol car!
Martin McClarren, Darlington

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Added: 05 February 2009 11:38
Hi you FUEL HEADS out there.There is a lot of talk about MPG at present,If it's based on;about, approx',I get to work all week on a tank full etc, then stop deluding yourselves.If it is based on the little SPIN MACHINE(onboard computer)in front of you then all you'r doing is playing into the hands of the other group of SPIN DOCTORS(THE CAR MAKER)The only accurate way is:-FILL TO THE BRIM,DRIVE and return to the same spot.BRIM AGAIN,Divide the litres by 4.5461,THAT IS GALLONS.Divide X by Y =MPG.
John Shepherd, UpHolland,Skelmersdalej

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Added: 05 February 2009 00:44
I own a BMW a it only needs 95 ron, I work on motor vehicles and only some BMW's need "super-unleaded".
I use Shell optimax if possible although I find no notable differences.
Sometimes using higher grade fuel is not required as the engine isn't tuned for it. Japanese engines seem to benefit most.
I checked a BMW 330d mpg I was working on and it was doing 30 mpg. Not really worth the extra noise, expense and smell considering my six cylinder BMW does 32 mpg combined.
Will Brown, Newbury Berkshire

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Added: 03 February 2009 18:04
I have only every bought petrol cars as I do less than 5000 miles per year and mostly drive around in town. But I would like to comment the fact that some engines on your car list require super unleaded to get the mpg figures you are quoting. (BMW and Audi FSI engines) and that is a lot more than 88.8p a liter which is what you a using to base this article on. While we are on MPG figures who here has actually achieved the figures quoted by the manufactures on any petrol car?
G Kay, Hounslow, Middlesex

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Added: 03 February 2009 14:54
Also worth noting that on many of the modern super high pressure diesel engines, the fuel pump and particularily injectors have very limited lifespans.

IIRC from the first of the VAG PD engines, typical useable life of an injector is around 60k miles.

Every 60k you might well have a £600 bill.

Current Ford 1.6 tdci unit is prone to popping injectors too, ask my local cab firm!
Alex Kerslake, Brentwood

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Added: 02 February 2009 21:18
More diesel use will not extend the supply of oil because when oil is refined, you get given percentages of the fractions (diesel, petrol, kerosene etc) in the crude oil. So the most efficient use of the oil is to use all of the fractions, including petrol.

CO2 is vastly preferable to the monster found in diesel exhausts:

"A COMPOUND discovered in the exhaust fumes of diesel engines may be the most strongly carcinogenic ever analysed, say Japanese researchers." - 3-nitrobenzanthrone
Cheapskate, Ireland

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Added: 02 February 2009 15:37
If the government really is encouraging greener motoring why then is Diesel priced to put off its use ??? If Diesel is more expensive to produce in the first place, then the tax on it should be lowered to encourage greater use. Apart from less CO2, increased use of Diesel power in cars with its 30% greater engine efficiency compared to Petrol should then help extend the worlds petroleum reserves somewhat.
Steve Brett, Hull

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Added: 02 February 2009 14:47
another point is that second hand family saloons are much better as a diesel than petrol - you space and pace without the extra fuel comsumption
Ivor-John Ross, Crawley

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Added: 01 February 2009 18:37
The diesel petrol debate is all very well but just to throw a spanner in the works what about lpg powered petrol cars you then save 50% on fuel costs servicing may cost a little more but intervals can be increased due to the cleaner burning fuel not contaminating the oil i know this from running lpg cars for the last 6 years
This would then swing the balance in favour of petrol savings of £1000 a year are easy to achieve so even factoring in the conversion cost you still win
gary mckay, falkirk

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Added: 01 February 2009 15:08
Agreed - there is no mention of depreciation. Currently diesel cars hold their value better (in general), or hold as much of their value as their petrol alternative. Therefore the "payback" period is sooner than the mileage you state.
Finally - some of the diesel engines listed are actually "better" than the petrol counterpart and part of the difference in price is seen as upgrading for more power and sometimes better refinement!
David Thomas, Norwich

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Added: 30 January 2009 16:59
folks,

have we factored in the cost of increased number of visits to a fuel station?

each time you have to fill up, i.e. more so in a petrol car with its less MPG, you incure a 'cost'. it must take on average about 5 mins to fill up and obviously slowing down, stopping and accelerating again must surely impact on overall MPG?

also what if better diesel refineries are setup, will the price of diesel come down?

cheers,
bill

bollos.demayer@googlemail.com
bill, bromley

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Added: 30 January 2009 16:57
The car purchase price is INVESTED. You get that money back when you sell it -subject to depreciation. The money you lose is the depreciation, NOT the full amount, which you have used in your calculation. The money to pay for fuel is a TOTAL LOSS. You never see that money again. Investment vs. Total Loss: spot the difference? Your calculations should use the depreciation on the extra money required, not the full amount. Plus I’m guessing petrol cars depreciate quicker than their diesel cars
Mike, Brentwood

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Added: 29 January 2009 13:40
Diesel engines can still be very noisy and slow, for example a Nissan Qashqai automatic diesel is just 2.2mpg better than the petrol one, almost a second slower to 62mph and 10gr/km CO2 worse!
Still people buy them, and pay a big premium (£1371!!) thinking it is Diesel so it must be economic!

Not to mention diesel engines pollute so much more than petrol. I'm talking about real pollution, dangerous gasses & particles. CO2 is not pollution, it's natural, every living thing emits it.
Michael, Guildford

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Added: 28 January 2009 23:08
Have maintenence costs for diesel cars been taken into account here? Modern diesels can require more frequent expensive servicing and oil changes. This would have a cost impact which should be factored in!
Brian O'Sheehan, Dublin

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Added: 28 January 2009 18:42
This article makes it sound more straight forward than it actually is. Not only do diesel cars save money on fuel, but also road tax and insurance. Diesels may cost more to buy when new but don't forget that they will also be worth more when you come to sell, therefore i think there are more things to think about when considering to go for a diesel than just mpg
James Parry, Chester

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Added: 28 January 2009 13:53
Hi to all,and further to the input from Campbellonie of Glasgow.I am aware the article is not all it seems at first glance,that is covered by my use of the word subjective.I believe the differential between diesel and petrol running costs, and, in particular direct costs, straight from your pocket into the tank are more easily gauged with an older vehicle,say 3yrs or more that has a more manageable price tag.As for the driving experience,the 1997 D5 does not compare with my 1997 T5,ask the plod.
John Shepherd, UpHolland,Skelmersdale

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Added: 28 January 2009 08:54
The diesel v petrol arguement is not as straight forward as this article suggests. Being a diesel owner you benefit, generally, from cheaper Road Tax ( often significant) and cheaper insurance premium. furthermore the torque gains offered by Diesel over a similar engined petrol make for a significantly imporved driving experience. Recent forecourt variations in fuel prices make diesel approx 16% dearer and I agree that buyers should look more closely at the MPG on offer from petrol / diesel
Campbellonie, Glasgow

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Added: 27 January 2009 22:49
WELL NOW THEN!!.In a previous input of mine I cast doubt upon the running of diesels against petrol engined vehicles.Yes I know it is all very subjective, but factor in the other costs of service,ruined diesel particulate filters,the possible need to drive above the optimum fuel economy speed and the likelihood of having to drive extra mileage to burn off the soot in the filer;then diesel does not look so good,does it??.For those of us that have to buy and run pre-owned, petrol must the choice.
John Shepherd, UpHolland,Skelmersdale

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