Very often, the most confusing or complex decision one has to take while making a car buying decision is on whether to go for a diesel car or a petrol car weather you are looking for brand new or good condition used cars. Indian car market was predominantly petrol market until recently. However, things underwent a drastic change in the recent times. There has been a growing demand for diesel cars in India, which has prompted the carmakers and car buyers to rethink on their decisions.
So, how does one decide which car to buy – a petrol car or a diesel car? Well, here are some tips that we hope would help making that decision easier.
Initial Cost – as far as initial costs are concerned, the petrol cars are winners. The petrol cars are cheaper than their diesel counterparts are, and this could be one reason for people favouring a petrol car over a diesel car. The main reason for the diesel engines being more costly is that the construction of diesel engines is bit more complicated than that of petrol engines, resulting in higher initial investment.
Performance – in the petrol engines, fuel and air are premixed, which ultimately results in better efficiency; the car can move at higher speeds and is quieter. However, the overall fuel efficiency will be low. Diesel engines, on the other hand, uses compression ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected in the combustion chamber subsequent to air compression. This results in better energy output per unit volume. Hence, diesel engines have better performance and fuel efficiency.
Emissions – Diesel engines have been painted as harmful for the environment. However, the diesel cars emit fewer hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and lead fumes than petrol cars, but produce gases that are more noxious and significantly more particulate. In comparison, the petrol cars produce practically nil particulate matter, take more time to warm up, produce more carbon dioxide per km on average, and emissions of the measured pollutants are higher. In short, diesel engine emissions are less harmful than that of a petrol engine.
Conclusion – If you use your car for long distance commuting on daily basis, diesel engine’s fuel efficiency and higher torque could be advantageous to you. They also offer better running life than petrol engines – a diesel car can cover more distance than a petrol car, before heading for the requisite maintenance. Moreover, the rising fuel prices, especially that of petrol, has made the diesel car a better choice in terms of fuel efficiency and running costs. In short, the running cost of a diesel car is lower. Add to this the fact that diesel cars fetch better resale value, and you could say for sure that in the long run, diesel cars are a better bargain.
