Petrol v diesel cars

Well considering older diesel cars are being banned in various cities across Europe I wouldn't have thought that would be your best option. I don't think it's likely to impact you if it's a brand new car since it will likely be reasonably decent in terms of emissions; but something to keep in mind especially if you're not going brand new.

Diesel does tend to be cheaper if you're running a vehicle for multiple years with consistent high mileage; I'm not sure precisely by how much these days.

I also believe modern petrol hybrids will give better fuel economy than diesel; not sure about longevity or long-term cost when compared to diesel though.

In my opinion diesel is still the best high mileage option.
As for hybrids, their efficiency depends on type of driving. They are brilliant around town but on the motorway they are not all that efficient.

Budget, car type etc.....

Headshot wrote: »

Thanks Ronivek.

Yes it will be new, currently looking at a Volvo XC40

I suppose another thing to factor is I would suspect the Greens want to see the Diesel prices increase and we may not see any differences between diesel and petrol soon enough

Another aspect is the whole Covid-19 nonsense. Diesel engines in general don't take well to long periods off the road or even long periods of low mileage local driving. The particulate filter in particular can become clogged and they're expensive to replace.

Anecdotally I've had problems with 2/3 of our diesels due to the lockdown enforced low mileage; thankfully the particulate filter in one case cleared up after some motorway driving. The other car required an engine tear-down for a blocked valve; again seemingly related to low mileage and being off the road.

As to the price of diesel and any changes to the yearly road tax that's also a potential issue; and from the Programme for Government they're talking about 'phasing out' petrol and diesel entirely from 2030:

We will:
• Use a range of policy approaches to incentivise use of electric vehicles (EVs) and encourage a shift away from petrol/diesel vehicles.
• Legislate to ban the registration of new fossil-fuelled cars and light vehicles from 2030 onwards and phase out diesel and petrol cars from Irish cities from 2030.

So from that perspective if you plan on keeping something for up to 10+ years maybe a petrol hybrid would be preferable.

Some petrols are doing great mpg these days....

See prices are on the way up again too.

If you're doing motorway and big runs diesel would be best suited....

City and short drives petrol all the way and hybrid or plug in could also suit.

Only 510 kms a week. Geez buy an Electric Car. Hyundai Kona does 450 kms to a charge.

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Only 510 kms a week. Geez buy an Electric Car. Hyundai Kona does 450 kms to a charge.

Nearly forty grand for a car with the internal space of a Corsa!

RandomViewer wrote: »

Nearly forty grand for a car with the internal space of a Corsa!

What's the wait time for a tesla model 3?

maherhonda wrote: »

I'd rather dip my balls in acid than pay 40K for a car, especially an electric corsa size one.

I agree. Hard enough to part with 4k.

The Op is looking at a new xc40, that's pushing 40k new.

I've switched from a 2l Diesel to a 2l Petrol...

Delighted with the change, no more worrying about doing short distance runs, the Dpf light coming on, the clattery engine noise/additional vibrations...
Insurance came down too..
Petrol engine feels much more refined and 500 - 600 km is easily achievable, even in a 2 litre, never mind some of the smaller 1l turbo petrols which are even more efficient...

Diesels have there place in longer distance motorway runs.....

colm_mcm wrote: »

€40k for a budget mini crossover that’s €20k in petrol.

But electricity is nearly free.

FillaName wrote: »

Can I jump on here too for suggestions.

A hatchback car for my wife with a budget of 7-8k who does very low milage.
Maybe 30km of town driving a week. Maybe a couple of long drives per month.

There are barely any petrol cars for sale now that match that criteria, with a bit of power. Has to be over 1.4 at least.

Does anyone have a resource to show the dangers of diesel or DPF filters? YouTube didn't bring me much luck.

Honda jazz or fit

RandomViewer wrote: »

Nearly forty grand for a car with the internal space of a Corsa!

I think that's a throw away remark, seats 5 adults like any car,

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

I think that's a throw away remark, seats 5 adults like any car,

Internal dimensions are similar ,Kona is not a large car, base model 3 series for the same money.

I have zero interest in an electric car.

I really don't see the point.

I can drive anywhere in the country (and back probably) in my diesel. If I exhaust the tank, takes 2 mins and I can do the same again.

RandomViewer wrote: »

Internal dimensions are similar ,Kona is not a large car, base model 3 series for the same money.

Base model 3 is ~10k more expensive, 10% less range and only RWD. Assuming you mean Tesla.

maherhonda wrote: »

I buy a car with a fresh NCT for 1500 or I buy an electric car for 40000.

Wonder how long it would take me to see the financial benefits when i drive 16KM a day.

Even when I have a 1.6TDI doing 1200KM's a week It would probably take 8 years or more before I see any financial benefits.

No, you would never see a financial benefit within the lifetime of the EV.

For fun, I did the numbers for the UK (too lazy to find the VRT) for buying the current Honda Civic Type R vs a Nissan Leaf. Apart from the considerably quicker acceleration and vastly greater range, load carrying, better handling and fun factor of the Civic, the difference in price would buy enough petrol for 30,000 k of driving. After that, the Leaf would start to save you money, but really, a Jazz or 1.8L petrol Civic would have been a less extreme comparison, so the price difference would have been greater meaning a possibility of no cost saving within the usual ownership period for most people.

Of course that wouldn't apply here due to VRT, but it sort of shows how very expensive EVs still are.

colm_mcm wrote: »

318i SE Auto is €40690.

The BMW price includes €6800 of VRT which the Kona is exempt from. It also doesn’t get the €5000 grant that the Kona has built into its price.

Even the most blinkered EVangelists agree that the Kona EV is overpriced and that Hyundai are taking advantage of the SEAI grant and silly BIK system.

Right, but my comment was only based on the assumption he wasn't talking about a BMW?

mp3guy wrote: »

Base model 3 is ~10k more expensive, 10% less range and only RWD. Assuming you mean Tesla.

3 series BMW, why would anyone want an old model Mazda?

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

I know a girl with a petrol Kona, she said last week she took 3 grown men in rear no problem, and one up front.

Ooh matron