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Consumer rights advocates Which? have already turned their attention to the world of gap insurance and have now conducted an investigation into the pros and cons and real life costs of owning a petrol car vs a diesel.
This comes at a time when for the first time ever diesel cars will account for more than half the total sales of the new car market.
So is petrol better than diesel?
Do you really think about how are buying choices are made and why?
Do we really think about the mileage we will do and off set this against re-sale values?
Which? tested identical models and specifications of petrol and diesel cars including the
- Ford Fiesta
- Vauxhall Astra
- Volkswagen Tiguan
- Volkswagen Sharan
- BMW 5 Series
- Peugeot 308 SW.
Which based their calculations on an annual mileage of 10672 ( this was average annual mileage in the 2012 Which? Car Survey ) and then compared the associated expected fuel bills.
So with better fuel economy is the diesel model better?
Well no in fact according to the research it could take up to 14 years to claw back the difference in the up from cost of buying a diesel model.
A spokes person for Which? said “Fuel price rises have been hitting household budgets hard, so it’s important that consumers know they are getting value for money when they buy a car. Diesel cars are known for their fuel efficiency, but with lower pump prices for petrol and a premium price tag for diesel cars, it may make more financial sense for families to go for the petrol version."
Strangely the difference in the re-sale value of the diesel model was not taken into consideration and at Aequitas we wonder if this would have changed the overall picture and cost efficiencies Which? found?