Diesel cheaper and more efficient for many motorists

Diesel cars are suited to more than twice as many motorists as petrols, according to data from What Car?’s newly launched What Fuel? tool.

However, hybrid vehicles could be the right choice for 60 per cent of drivers, the data suggests.

The What Fuel? tool, which can be embedded onto any website, analyses factors such as annual mileage, type of roads travelled on most often and most common individual journeys.

It then uses this information to assess what fuel type is best suited, financially and environmentally, for each motorist.

In its first week, more than 5,800 motorists used the tool to find out what fuel type or powertrain they should buy in order to be most cost-effective and efficient. More than one in 10 (11 per cent) found that a diesel was the optimal choice, compared with just 4 per cent who were recommended a petrol car.

While the choice of viable electric cars is growing, range anxiety and infrastructure currently count against them. But hybrid cars’ combination of a greener electric motor coupled with the added protection of a combustion engine increasingly makes them an ideal compromise for many.

What Car? Editor, Steve Huntingford, said:“With electric cars and hybrids still a relatively new phenomenon and the government causing uncertainty over the suitability of diesels, consumers are desperate for clarity. The What Fuel? tool is designed to cut through some of this noise.”

The What Fuel? tool consists of four simple questions to find out the driver’s typical mileage, driving style and environment. The tool’s recommendations are then calculated based on factors that affect a vehicle’s suitability to a driver, such as running costs and emissions.

To try out the What Fuel? tool, visit: https://www.whatcar.com/what-fuel-tool/