Ask Honest John

Honest John Ask Honest John » Save and sound?
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Save and sound?

My wife may soon purchase a Focus or Golf and we are wondering whether to go for diesel or petrol. The annual mileage will be about 10,000, mainly on rural roads with journeys of about ten to twenty miles. With the price between petrol and diesel getting smaller, it really does seem that we should go for diesel. I would greatly appreciate your views.

Asked on 8 August 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
The fuel for a 50mpg diesel will cost you about £1,000. The fuel for a 40mpg petrol will cost you about £1,250. And the petrol car will typically be around £80 more a year to tax. But long-term, there are too many potentially expensive problems with modern, low emission diesels that cost a lot more to fix than the saving from CO2 tax and fuel economy at 10,000 miles a year.

Our honest used car pricing is a little bit different to all the others. You can get to our values through make or model - you don’t have to follow a prescribed route. Plus, it’s live, which means we can react to changes in the market quicker than any printed price guide.

Honest Used Car Prices

Our Fuel Cost Calculator shows you which will be the best choice for you.

Compare the running costs of petrol, diesel and electric cars to make the right choice for you.

Petrol or diesel ... or even electric?
Dear Honest John,

Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:
    Select a few terms below
Similar questions
I am looking to upgrade from my 2003 VW Polo to something a little bit bigger. I commute 50 miles a day (round trip) but undertake short journeys during the day. Would I be better buying a Petrol or a...
Hello I was wondering which one of the following 3 cars would you say is the best: BMW 1-series, 2012 Audi A3, 2012 Mercedes-Benz A-class. Early reviews have shown that the A-class has been a bit of...
My current Honda Civic is due for change & I'm wondering which of the current similar models (Focus, etc) are the quietest, especially in respect of road noise. The Civic is great on good surfaces but...