Moving from diesel

Pacifico

So...! I have a 2011 1.6 TDI Golf Match Spec with 115000 miles. Car is in great condition and spec wise it has all the toys i need\want.

The problem is my weekly commute is only about 60km :P

Would it be worth my while looking for a petrol replacement? Anything in particular ye would recommend?

Thanks in advance

Lantus

If your total weekly commute is 60km so 12km a day then petrol is ideal. I do 100km a day and petrol is cost neutral compared to diesel. A diesel car can cost 1 to 4k more than an equivalent petrol. So you need to save that in fuel over the ownership cycle to make it economically viable. Modern petrol engines deliver 5 to 6l/100km. A diesel gets you 4 to 5l/100km. So you save 1 to 2 litres of fuel per 100km. Let's say a litre of fuel cost roughly 1.30eu. over 1 year at a 100km commute 5 days a week your talking an extra 325eu to 650eu a year and over 3 years 1000 to 1800 roughly so you really need to be laying down thousands of miles to make diesel stack against a modern petrol.

The move to parity for diesel and petrol prices doesn't help make diesel more cost effective.

cros13

If you go electric you'll eliminate 90-95% of your fuel and maintenance costs.
Plus you get to burn off the boy racers at the lights with that electric torque.

I do a 200km commute from Portlaoise to Dublin for about 96 cents of electricity in a car that goes 0-100 in 6.5 seconds.
Saves about €6-7k a year over a diesel/petrol yoke. A little extra on tires but savings everywhere else.

All in all

cros13 wrote: »

If you go electric you'll eliminate 90-95% of your fuel and maintenance costs.
Plus you get to burn off the boy racers at the lights with that electric torque.

I do a 200km commute from Portlaoise to Dublin for about 96 cents of electricity in a car that goes 0-100 in 6.5 seconds.
Saves about €6-7k a year over a diesel/petrol yoke. A little extra on tires but savings everywhere else.

What electric do you have, thinking of changing myself for similar commute.

Pacifico

Not sure i'd go down the electric route...yet! Hybrid maybe...any suggestions on make\models i should be looking at?

floatwinner

Pacifico wrote: »

Not sure i'd go down the electric route...yet! Hybrid maybe...any suggestions on make\models i should be looking at?

Lexus CT200H.

alfaromeo84

At what mileage per annum does diesel make itself worth it?

oppenheimer1

alfaromeo84 wrote: »

At what mileage per annum does diesel make itself worth it?

There are people here, due to their hatred for diesel that if you said you were driving to the moon and back every day they would recommend a petrol.

They'd then throw in a witty dig about "daysul tractors for the chyape tax"

NIMAN

I'd always heard 15k miles or so quoted as making diesel worthwhile.

listermint

If was going new and nearly new with that mileage I would be going hundred percent electric. My last car was an M3 no qualms about going electric now the tides changing and the value is stark.

cros13

All in all wrote: »

What electric do you have, thinking of changing myself for similar commute.

I'm driving an i3, I'd probably recommend against the i3 for that kind of distance as it's too close for comfort for most people in terms of the range at motorway speeds for that kind of commute. I'm just over 3 years on from my first EV so I'm comfortable arriving home with 4% reading on the dash.

The Hyundai Ioniq works better as a motorway car, better aerodynamics. Not as fast or fun as the i3 but a better first EV... around €10k cheaper too.

Pacifico wrote: »

Not sure i'd go down the electric route...yet! Hybrid maybe...any suggestions on make\models i should be looking at?

It's worth maybe getting a 24/48 hour test drive to see if it meets your needs. Most dealers will offer that.
It would definitely involve doing the maths to see if it suits you financially vs something like the CT200h.
Alternatively I would suggest PHEV (plug-in hybrid), but purchase cost of a PHEV is higher still.

bazz26

alfaromeo84 wrote: »

At what mileage per annum does diesel make itself worth it?

NIMAN wrote: »

I'd always heard 15k miles or so quoted as making diesel worthwhile.

It's not as such the annual mileage but the type of driving done that should be considered. Someone doing 10k miles of mostly long motorway type journeys would be more suited to a diesel car than someone doing 15k miles of mostly short start/stop type city driving.

Lantus

Electric is great, I'd love to move into one once the next leap in range is stabilised.

The only concern is capital cost. Of course it's relative to the car you want and budget. I was looking for a cheaper car so couldn't make the figures stick. Bigger budget, no issue.

colm_mcm

What's wrong with your own car again?