Howdy folks!
Are know you lot on this board have the answer to everything!
Therfore may I ask, now diesel is 10p a litre more expensive than petrol. Is there a benefit to owning a diesel for 20k miles of motoring per annum?
I'd be looking to swap a manual 1.9 TDI passat (130)
for an............ automatic 1.8 petrol Volvo V40
Can anyone advise me on the potential difference in fuel costs?
Alternatively tell me which other estate to consider upto £4k
Thanks in advance
{typo in subject header amended}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 12/04/2008 at 18:47
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I've just done a calculator for this as I'm considering changing my car from a diesel manual to a petrol auto, so I just changed the figures...
Assuming petrol at £1.059, diesel at £1.139, which is the cheapest local to me; and using the combined fuel consumption figures of 32.5 for the Volvo and 48.7 for the Passat:
... the answer is that the Passat's fuel cost will be £835 a year lower (£2124 vs. £2959).
The difference doesn't just depend on the difference in price/litre though - if the price of both fuels goes up, the extra cost of the Volvo would increase, even if the 8p differential is maintained.
E&OE.
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Thanks very much more difference than I thought it would be, perhaps I should stick with a diesel estate car.
Thanks again
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Agree -for 20k a year, which is what I do, diesel is still worth it- and there's always a chance that the petrol / diesel differential may reduce in the summer (it was only 1p at times last year).
12-15k a year - marginal; under 12k petrol is the better bet unless you strongly prefer the way a diesel drives.
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Those calcs are way too simplistic.
There are many more factors which have been ignored :
1. OUtright cost of Diesel is more than Petrol
2. Petrol depreciates faster than Diesel
3. Servicing costs differ btwn Petrol and Diesel
4. Repair costs differ btwn Petrol and Diesel
5. Reliability differs btwn Petrol and Diesel
6. Longevity differs btwn Petrol and Diesel
7. Road Fund License (tax) is influenced by Petrol and Diesel
All of these factors have a cost/saving depending on which side of the fence you sit.
I'd also suggest you look at the Auto/Manual 'box variable as this is as likely to influence running costs as much as fuel type - especially at this pricepoint.
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The question was about the difference in fuel costs. I answered it, stating my assumptions.
Perhaps you are going to do the same, taking all the factors you list into account ;-)
I'm considering this at the moment, and very mindful of some of the things you mention, especially depreciation.
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The AA have compiled generic running cost tables: tinyurl.com/63wfmz
Based on 2007 fuel prices: might need to adjust slightly but who knows whether diesel will fall in price again as the demand for fuel lessens. Maybe:)
Edited by nortones2 on 14/04/2008 at 21:19
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As said above and in a number of recent posts, diesel usually falls in price in the summer as there's less need for heating oil (which apparently is extracted from the same fraction of crude).
Perhaps it's reasonable to assume a 4 or 5p year-round premium for diesel.
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It won't this year in fact it will probably go up wholesale prices for June and July delivery are considerabley higher.
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Our two cars (and our local fuel prices which now have a clear 10ppl difference between diesel and unleasded)
Both our cars are about the same weight, and both are used on the same kind of journeys.
Renault Scenic 1.9dCi
Average fuel consumption: 42 mpg
Cost of fuel (litre) 115.9
Cost of fuel (gallon) £5.26
Fuel cost per mile: 12.5p
Volvo S60 2.0T S
Average fuel consumption: 32 mpg
Cost of fuel (litre): 105.9
Cost of fuel (gallon): £4.81
Fuel cost per mile: 15p
Similar service intervals and service costs based on the invoices in the histories of both cars.
So the diesel gives a 2.5p per mile cost saving on fuel.
Extrapolated over a year that gives a £250 saving at 10,000 miles and a £500 saving over 20,000 miles.
Both cars were bought used, and in the case of the Renault, we could have had the petrol equivalent for £2k less, and the diesel equivalent of the Volvo would have been £2k more.
If a diesel did 50 mpg and the petrol did 25, that would put a different light on it, but the figures above are brim to brim "real world" averages measured over many tankfuls.
It's hardly a clear cut advantage for either IMHO. Buy what you prefer driving.
Cheers
DP
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Interesting DP. I did a similar calculation based upon my current car with a 2.0 diesel engine over 40k miles per year versus a 1.8 petrol version of the same model. The diesel still has a £1000 per annum cost advantage in terms of fuel usage. However, if you then factor in that a petrol model can be bought for averagely £2500 less than the diesel the difference in actual running cost does not now come to any advantage until 2.5 years of ownership. Of course you can / have to build in a figure for relative depreciation. You also take another view that you are paying the fuel cost over the 2.5 years as opposed to finding it upfront.
Overall though, even on relatively high mileage it is no longer as clear cut as it was.
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