Car advice diesel?

[Feebee2]

I need a car and have no clue. So I've ordered a new Ford Focus, a diesel. DD tells me this is a big mistake and should only buy electric.
I've been round the houses with this one as we don't have off street parking charging would be an issue.
Anyway am I making a big mistake?

[novocastrian]

how many miles do you do? what kind of driving ie/ motorway or just round town? if the latter then a diesel isnt the best option

electric are still massively expensive compared to comparable petrol car, not an option for me as the range isnt big enough miles wise not withstanding the cost

fwiw i drove diesel for @20+ years last jan bought a petrol and wouldnt now go back again..., at some point diesel will be banned from cities imo

also fwiw i would never buy a new car... only new to me ;-)

[Abbysmum]

We have a diesel and it's fine, zero tax which is great! I don't do as many miles in it now so would probably choose petrol next time and my only concern is the diesel particulate filter (or something like that) that can get blocked and cause loss of power but this is not normally an issue if you do lots of miles. I'm not an expert though so someone with lots of diesel knowledge may come along and say I'm talking rubbish!

Hubby would like an electric but they're out of our price range

[grant_w]

I had about 5 or 6 diesels in a row as I did 70+ miles per day and up to 200 at weekends. But I gambled on petrol for my current car, mpg has been decent, way more than a few years ago.
I wouldn't get an electric car yet as I am still worried about range and charging, but I would consider a hybrid (non plug-in)

[123]

I don't think you made a mistake in not getting an electric car. They aren't quite ready for mainstream yet in my view.

1) The charging infrastructure isn't widespread enough in the UK yet
2) The distance between charges still isn't enough to do a long day trip yet (until 1 is solved)
3) The materials the batteries are made from in many cases is not recyclable and the energy required to make them in the first place (and mine the materials) is more polluting than the equivalent fossil fuel burn in the car
4) They are too expensive compared with their fossil equivalents

I believe electric is the way forward, but we still have some way to go.


I think you've made a mistake opting for diesel and not petrol. Diesel is getting hammered, higher price per litre (and with modern cars they are getting similar mpg regardless of diesel or petrol), higher car tax (due to the dirtiness of the exhaust fumes) and if its to be believed banning from certain high populated areas due to emissions.

I'd say unless you have a dedicated charging station at home and plenty of places you could top-up on your normal driving, then petrol remains the best option for a while yet

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Feebee2

I need a car and have no clue. So I've ordered a new Ford Focus, a diesel. DD tells me this is a big mistake and should only buy electric.
I've been round the houses with this one as we don't have off street parking charging would be an issue.
Anyway am I making a big mistake?

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I have a diesel, but if I were buying today I would get a petrol car. I don't have any issues with what I have, I just feel they could become less normal in the future.

I think your DD is jumping the gun to say it is a big mistake not to get an electric car. They are still far too expensive, limited options and not mainstream enough for me to be confident about getting it charging up whenever I need.

[disneypars]

I've just gone from a petrol Honda Jazz to a hybrid model and have to say I'm impressed. Mileage nearly as good as a diesel (63 - 66mpg).
Not doing as many miles as previously though and electric generator kicks in quite often around the town.

[mitch84]

My electric car arrived this morning. It’s going to be a big change from my trusty diesel, but I’m looking forward to saving money.
It’s got quite a long range, so I could certainly do a day trip, so we’ll have to see.
I think it all depends on the mileage you do whether diesel, petrol or electric (or hybrid of course) is right for you

[daytonababe]

Why is it a mistake ?

We only have diesels , that said we do a lot of miles , easily 1500 a month ,

My son has a diesel fiesta and it’s as cheap as anything to run , £20 a year road tax and does around 60mpg

[afcajax73]

I've always had a mix of diesel and petrol.. my latest car I made sure to go for petrol, and wouldn't go back to diesel now, especially with the impending ban on production of diesel cars. I suspect diesel prices will shoot up over the coming years, but you've probably got a while before that starts to happen.

In short no, I don't think you've made a mistake choosing diesel over electric (personal opinion) as I don't think electrics are ready yet either!