Recent research has shown that many car fleet operators seem to be choosing petrol powered cars over diesel. The research also indicated that the popularity of electric & hybrid vehicles is increasing also.
There is a significant price difference between the cost of a gallon of diesel and a gallon of petrol putting lower priced petrol firmly back into the frame as a viable alternative.
Some petrol cars are now almost as fuel efficient as their diesel counterparts and are pretty close on CO2 emissions, and it’s claimed that in terms of environmental impact, the petrol car is less harmful overall.
Whilst we don’t see fleets deserting diesel power, we do believe that petrol powered cars have their place and that’s primarily for lower mileage drivers in smaller cars. Big mileage users in larger cars, really still have to stick with diesel.
That said, with more people working from home, and covering less business miles each year, maybe the move will be to smaller cars with petrol power, so statistically, I believe we will see a drop at least in percentage terms, in the amount of diesel cars registered.
On a personal note, I was never a fan of early diesel cars, but saw the light as the new generation of common rail engines began appearing and frankly now, out of choice, I would opt for a diesel car every time. I like the characteristics of a diesel and the way it develops its power and I like the reliability they offer and whilst for sure, a super mini is better suited to petrol, I believe once you go past that, a diesel is the only way to go.
Finally, some congratulations are due to the car manufacturers themselves for the way they have continually developed these super efficient petrol engines we have today, and by doing so, have made this possible, for just a few years ago, it would have been completely impractical to even consider this.
