Hundreds of thousands of drivers choosing diesel new cars could be wasting money instead of saving it, according to research by Parkers.
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.
Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us.