Car fuel prices are biting hard to the point of having to think twice about making a trip in the car.
There are a good dozen tips on how to save car fuel mainly concerning driving styles, carrying unnecessary weight and keeping your car in good repair.
The biggest saving to be made is to buy a more economical car when you’re planning to change. It’s not worth rushing out to change your car now as the cost to change will buy many years of motoring in terms of fuel costs. So best wait until you’re due to change.
When the time comes you’ll have to look a lot deeper than the fuel economy data. It’s not simply a case of your old shed averaged 34 mpg and your intended purchase has a combined 57 mpg. When you compare new cars for sale there’s more to consider than fuel economy data.
Your choice is confused by petrol, diesel, hybrid or coming soon electric. It’s not just a straight choice between a diesel Ford Focus and hybrid Lexus CT 200h. What about Ford’s EcoBoost petrol engines? It’s not just about comparing car fuel costs. What about the comparative price of the cars to buy?
You might come across stats saying near 60% of new cars sold are diesel and accept it as social proof you should do the same. It’s not a simple as that. Near the same percentage of new cars are sold to businesses who in the main are higher mileage drivers who get quicker savings on mpg to pay-back the added cost of the car and diesel fuel. You can see reps running about in their new Mercedes but there’s more to it than it being a Mercedes C Class CDI these cars are fitted with advanced fuel saving technologies and the business owners are profiting from the calls they make on very long journeys. It will work out differently for a private owner.
Diesel and hybrid cars cost more than petrol cars to buy. So you need to compare the costs of running each to find out at what total mileage you start to make savings.
Diesel cars cost between £1,000 and £2,000 more than petrol cars. Petrol fuel costs £6.22p today compared with diesel at £6.45p. As a general rule it takes some 45,000 miles with a small or medium size car before you save on fuel costs. With some small cars it can take 100,000 miles. In other words several years down the road. Diesel works better with large cars and in some cases you can only buy a SUV with a diesel engine, some manufacturers do not offer a petrol option.
Another consideration is fuel saving technology. Some cars are saving fuel with reduced rolling resisting tyres, stop/start, weight reduction and energy recuperation. Again this comes at an extra cost at present with a more expensive car or as optional equipment. Eventually they’ll become standard like ABS, ESP, PAS and increasingly air con. So it’s worth comparing the value in this area. Also look out for cars making leaps forward with energy recuperation technology we haven’t heard of yet.
Petrol power is nowhere near dead. Petrol cars and fuel are cheaper to buy. Turbo technology means more power per litre and smaller more economical petrol engines.
One thing you’re pretty certain of is when you do change your car the new car will be far more economical than the one you part exchange.
After you’ve considered your options there’s still the issue of emissions. Diesel cars have lower CO2 emissions but emit particles. Hybrid save on CO2s and tax. With electric cars there are concerns about the environmental cost of producing the electricity. There are a good number of hybrids on the way from Audi, Chevrolet/Vauxhall, Porsche and Volvo.
So the message is when you are due to change your car compare all factors with a calculator in hand and not just go on fuel economy data.
Regards
Ralph
carbuyersinfo.co.uk Car Comparison Website to find the best car for your purpose and purse compare their differences and similarities
