Which Car Fuel?
Petrol, Diesel or the Alternatives?
The latest diesels are on a par with petrol cars. They start faster and are quieter and smoother than ever, thanks to developments such as turbo chargers and common rail injection. Even the fuel's been modified so it's not so awkward to fill or smelly if you get it on your hands.
Petrol vs Diesel
Diesel cars generally give you more miles to the gallon than petrol cars, though petrol cars are catching up. You can check and compare official fuel consumption data for new and used cars in our Car Buyer's Guide.
Purchase Price New diesels may cost more than new petrol cars to buy but you should be able to sell them for more, too.
Servicing Both diesel and petrol cars cost about the same to service, but you may find a diesel car needs more oil changes.
Road Tax Road tax is based on official CO2 emissions and diesel cars generally produce less CO2 as they're more efficient. But you will pay more in road tax for a diesel car due to the higher toxic emissions from diesel.
Company Cars Diesel cars are popular with company car drivers. Despite the 3% surcharge due to their higher toxic emissions, diesel cars often cost less in company car tax overall because of their lower CO2 emissions.
On the Road Diesel engines warm up more quickly from a cold start than petrol which can take around a mile to get up to temperature. Once warm though, a petrol engine is cleaner than diesel, and gives out lower emissions – better for the locals.
So, if you do frequent short journeys where the engine barely warms up, then a diesel could be better.
If, however, you spend most of your time stuck in traffic around town, then a petrol car's best.
On the motorway, fuel consumption is similar for petrol and diesel cars, so there's not much to choose between them. Diesels are better for towing as they have more torque, while extreme performance is still petrol-driven territory.
Convenience Most of the cars on the road today – 99% – are petrol or diesel. The fuels are easy to get hold of and easy to handle. As they're so convenient, alternative fuels struggle to get taken seriously.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
You can buy a new car that runs on LPG or get your petrol car converted. Cars that run on LPG cost more to buy than petrol or diesel ones. Satisfy yourself that any conversion to LPG has been done professionally.
You can buy LPG at around 1,300 outlets in the UK. See where you can buy LPG .
Cheaper Fuel The gas is around half the price of petrol or diesel, but fuel economy will be around 25% less. Overall, LPG works out around a third cheaper than petrol and diesel – once you've done enough miles to recoup the extra cost of the car. The higher your annual mileage, the quicker you'll recover the extra outlay.
City Driving LPG engines are cleaner than the current generation of diesels and pre– Euro IV petrol engines so they're good if you drive a lot in towns and cities, where low emissions are even more important.
Motoring Abroad Bear in mind, if you're a frequent traveller to the Continent, an LPG–fuelled car won't be allowed through the Eurotunnel, even if you can prove the tank has been disconnected or emptied. If you're travelling by ferry, check with the operator before you book.
Hybrids
Several car manufacturers offer models that have a small petrol or diesel engine and an electric motor. The car's electronics run one or both motors, depending on how much power you need.
In the City Good for city motoring, hybrids are cleaner than petrol or diesel. Running costs should be cheaper, too.
One of the downsides is hybrids are more expensive to buy than petrol cars. You may also find they're difficult to sell on as potential buyers may be nervous about their reliability because they're technically complex.