I'm trying to decide between diesel and petrol...

I am thinking about buying a new car, and I can't decide between diesel or petrol. I only do urban driving, about 1,500km per year. Taking into account the road tax, which would be the most economical for me?

Mary Gaughan (Galway)

Jun 2013 Filed under: fuel economy and emissions

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Expert answer

Hi Mary,

At just 1,500km per year it's highly likely that a petrol car would be better suited to your needs. Diesel cars are usually more expensive to buy in the first place, and new petrol cars are much closer to their diesel counterparts than ever before in terms of fuel economy and tax so in your case the balance tips in favour of petrol. On top of that, diesel cars are designed to be driven at higher speed regularly and they don't take well to a life in town.

Recently we did a piece of research in conjunction with Cartell.ie looking into this very thing. Read the results of the research here.

Shane O' Donoghue - Complete Car Adviser
@Shane_O_D