Petrol or diesel?

Rioghain

Just looking for some advice regarding petrol or diesel as I’m getting some conflicting advice.

I drive over 20000km per year and I’m now ready to change my car. One dealer has told me to go for petrol and it won’t make a real difference to the resale value and another has told me to go for diesel, as it will save more in fuel but also the resale value will be very bad if I go for petrol. I’m also a bit concerned about the bad press diesel has been getting and the talk of phasing it out.

I’d be very grateful for any advice. Thanks.

_Brian

My position is your probably along the crossover line between one and the other.

For me it would depend on other factors like what size of car do you use, do you haul around family and the gear that goes with that. Do you ever tow a trailer. The a diesel is probably what you need.

If your buying a smaller motor then it’s likely a petrol would suit just fine.

So, I wouldn’t be buying a petrol SUV or large saloon like a Skoda Superb. But if your looking at Auris or i30 sizes I’d say a petrol would be fine.

Leonard Hofstadter

Diesel is definitely going out of fashion, you only have to look at makes like Volvo, who today launched their new S60, and it's the first Volvo which won't be available with any diesel option.

I'd go for petrol, as a side benefit, they're much nicer to drive than diesels (in my opinion) and are still quieter and more refined than diesels, and the resale value will be better compared to a diesel as their popularity continues to decline.

The only exception to this is if you're looking at a larger car, such as a 5 series, or a medium to large SUV, diesels will still be much cheaper to run because in the short to medium term, most people will still want diesels for the superior fuel economy and lower car tax, also the torque of a diesel is better suited to larger cars (although I personally would prefer a petrol, but it would need to be a rather large capacity one for me).

TomOnBoard

What are you changing from?

Rioghain

Thanks for the replies. I drive a Polo currently, 1.4 diesel. It’s on pcp but I’m looking to get out of that. Only looking for a Polo or similar from another brand, so nothing big. Another dealership told me that they wouldn’t recommend a petrol on all on the mileage I do (about 23000 km a year) as it would seriously devalue the car. I’m really confused to be honest. They also said diesel would be fine for another 4 or 5 years but I thought that would devalue the car as well if I went for diesel.

TomOnBoard

I'd be going for a low mileage, low CO2 used diesel from UK. But that's just me. I couldnt justify making a big investment jn a new diesel atm, and I reckon your mileage is in diesel territory. After 4 years a petrol close to 100k km would take a good hit value wise, and you'll get better MPG at a lower price per litre on diesel in the meantime. That said, much depends on your up front investment- if diesel costs a lot mote to buy, its harder to justify.

bazz26

What sort of driving is that mileage? Mostly motorway driving or city/short journeys? A hybrid might be a good compromise if most of your driving is not long distance motorway type driving and hybrid resale values would be fairly stable.

drunkmonkey

The only thing that is going to devalue diesles here is UK imports, the government are afraid to touch it as it has such a huge impact on business.
The new Mazda 3 looks like it's the best of both world, diesel economy with petrol power and low emissions https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/968078/Mazda-3-diesel-engine-Skyactiv-petrol-efficiency
That could be the one to go for if your looking to future proof but you can't have one until next year.
Tesla will go the way or the dodo yet get yourself a Mazda.

Rioghain

I drive 40 km commute (80 km in total) a day for a good part of the year on a mix of motorway and secondary roads. I drive longer distances on a motorway every fortnight or so. I don’t do much driving for a few months per year and the bit I do is driving around the city. All adds to about 23000 km as I said. A real mix, I couldn’t be straightforward!

Thanks for the advice so far. Much appreciated.

TomOnBoard

Rioghain wrote: »

I drive 40 km commute (80 km in total) a day for a good part of the year on a mix of motorway and secondary roads. I drive longer distances on a motorway every fortnight or so. I don’t do much driving for a few months per year and the bit I do is driving around the city. All adds to about 23000 km as I said. A real mix, I couldn’t be straightforward!

Thanks for the advice so far. Much appreciated.

With that kind of profile, you'd be a good candidate for a Hybrid alright. I'd be looking at a good used PHEV hybrid rather than petrol/electric alone. You could even consider a full EV with that profile as ranges have improved significantly. If you had a plug in ability at your daily destination (afyer the 40 km journey), you'd really be laughing.

Rioghain

I was actually looking at the Yaris Hybrid today. So a hybrid is an option, a bit more expensive though. I know the UK would be a good option, but it’s inconvenient.

TomOnBoard

Rioghain wrote: »

I was actually looking at the Yaris Hybrid today. So a hybrid is an option, a bit more expensive though. I know the UK would be a good option, but it’s inconvenient.

Is that a plug in hybrid?

bazz26

The Yaris hybrid isn't plug in.

TomOnBoard

bazz26 wrote: »

The Yaris hybrid isn't plug in.

Ok. I reckon the OP's needs would be best suited to a PHEV rather than straight hybrid.

Rioghain

TomOnBoard wrote: »

Is that a plug in hybrid?

No it isn’t a plug in. I’d have to get pcp again too I’d say if I went for it. Not getting a bad deal from Ford for a petrol fiesta, but again will have the same worry about mileage, and also the cost of fuel.

Starting to seriously think about refinancing my own for another two years once the pcp runs out. I know it will have a lot of mileage on it at the end, but I’ve been looking at the price of 5 year diesel polos with high mileage and they‘re not a bad price.

irisheddie85

Rioghain wrote: »

No it isn’t a plug in. I’d have to get pcp again too I’d say if I went for it. Not getting a bad deal from Ford for a petrol fiesta, but again will have the same worry about mileage, and also the cost of fuel.

Starting to seriously think about refinancing my own for another two years once the pcp runs out. I know it will have a lot of mileage on it at the end, but I’ve been looking at the price of 5 year diesel polos with high mileage and they‘re not a bad price.

This is probably the best decision in my opinion. Unless the polo isn't meeting your needs for any reason why change it? If you have stayed on top of servicing since you bought it then it should be a reliable car for a very long time.

Rioghain

irisheddie85 wrote: »

This is probably the best decision in my opinion. Unless the polo isn't meeting your needs for any reason why change it? If you have stayed on top of servicing since you bought it then it should be a reliable car for a very long time.

It’s definitely meeting my needs for the time being. It’s been serviced regularly. The main reason I was looking to upgrade is because there‘ll be no warranty anymore, and I like having that security. But I may just have to get over that.

drunkmonkey

You can get a mapfre warranty on it, it'll be very similar to what you have if you take it out before the warranty ends. I doubt you need it your car should be fine just take heed of the warning lights and service as normal.

Rioghain

drunkmonkey wrote: »

You can get a mapfre warranty on it, it'll be very similar to what you have if you take it out before the warranty ends. I doubt you need it your car should be fine just take heed of the warning lights and service as normal.

Thanks, I’ll look into that. Had a little trouble with it a while back, when it broke down and needed two parts replaced. That’s why I’m a little apprehensive about having no warranty.