Stuck Between Buying Diesel Or Petrol Car: Price And Fuel Efficiency
85I received an email from Deepak regarding buying a car in India. He is confused between buying diesel or petrol version of cars in the range of 4 to 6 lakhs. Below I have added his email query and my answer with car comparisons. I am publishing this article as it can be helpful for other visitors who are interested in buying a car but are stuck between buying diesel or petrol.
Email query by Deepak: Hi Soni, I happened to come across your articles in HubPages and appreciate you on the good work. I intend to buy a hatchback in the range of Rs. 4-6 lakhs. I am particularly interested in the VW Polo and also the Fiat Grande Punto and Nissan Micra as well. My field of work keeps me away from home for 4 months at a stretch during which I don't expect the car to see a lot of the road. The car will be seeing some use (approximately 1000 km/month) only during the 2 months I am home (after every 4 months). I am not able to decide whether to go for the petrol version of the car or the diesel version. Heard from a few that diesel cars would not be the ideal take in my case. But the relatively better fuel efficiency and lower fuel price have led me to think otherwise. Also, the fact that diesel version of cars cost more than their petrol siblings and my lack of knowledge as to which version requires more maintenance have really put me in a dilemma. Your advice, thoughts, or suggestions on this to help be make the wise decision will be much appreciated.
My answer to Deepak: Hi Deepak, first of all thanks a lot for visiting and liking my articles on Indian automotive and cars at hubpages. As you are stuck between buying diesel or petrol hatchbacks in 4 lakhs to 6 lakhs range, I would advice you to buy a diesel car for the following reasons:
- You have to shell out a little bit more money when buying a diesel car but it is a long-term investment because diesel is always cheaper than petrol.
- Regarding maintenance of diesel car, you don’t need to worry. Timely service will do the work for you. Maintenance of diesel cars is not a big problem nowadays.
- Also nowadays, diesel cars are coming with much more advanced technology not like the old ones, which were coming with roaring noise causing a nuisance to onlookers. Also in India, some diesel cars don’t even make any noise. They are as smooth as their petrol versions.
- You just have to invest more money in the starting when you will buy the car but after a year or two you will get good returns of investment in the form of better fuel efficiency and great mileage.
- According to you, you are interested in Volkswagen Polo, Fiat Grande Punto, and Nissan Micra, but according to me Maruti Swift Diesel is the best option as it is coming in your range and is a Maruti’s car. The ex-showroom price of Maruti Swift Diesel Ldi is Rs. 4,86,325 and on road price is 5,23,763 INR whereas the ex-showroom price of VW Polo in Hyderabad is 5,42,000 INR and on road price is approximately 5,82,000 INR. So it is costly than Swift Diesel.
- Also Fiat Grande Punto ex-showroom price in Delhi is approximately Rs 4,29,282 to Rs 6,46,390. Again a huge price difference when compared between Grande Punto and Swift Diesel.
- Nissan Micra Diesel comes in approximately 5,50,000 INR on road comprising of insurance, RTO, and other expenses and can be another option as it comes with accessories like ESP, fog lamps, ABS, EBD, parking sensors, traction control, and air bags for safety but then also I have not seen much Nissan cars rolling on Indian roads.
- If you buy Maruti Swift Diesel, you are buying the best diesel car in India with addition of easy serviceability and affordable spare parts.
- I know your driving will be less but then also diesel is the best option, as you will need a diesel car when driving for long tours or vacations on weekends, like 500 or more kms and you will not need to go for a diesel car rental. Your own car will be a completely affordable car in city or on highways.
I can only give you advice but you are the best decision maker because you are the one who is going to buy the car.
Best regards,
soni2006 (Rajinder Soni)
Best Diesel Car in India - 4 to 6 lakhs INR
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Thanks for your visit and comment agusfanani. I always tend to create hubs that are useful for not only the person who asked that question via email but also to help other visitors who are looking for the same type of information and help them come out of the same dilemma. Also, I will keep on doing this as I like it.
I've never owned a diesel but I have friend who are very faithful to VW. The mileage impresses me.
VW is a good company but they are unable till now to produce a car for an average Indian who does not buy costly cars. They need to launch some economical cars keeping in mind the view of an average Indian but producing a low budget car by Volkswagen is still impossible in India. May be in upcoming years, they are able to compete with Maruti and Tata but then also they will have to compromise on the overall quality of the car.
VW has made some cars that seem to always have problems...Nice looking and effective but mechanically always need work. The VW bug is ranked as one of the worst cars in the last 10 years. My friend has a VW jetta and it is always breaking down.
Diesel fuel is more costly in the US.
too bad they don't have flex fuel cars or do they?.
Thanks for the update on VW Jetta ocbill. One of my uncle is planning to buy a Jetta but I will tell him about what you said. Regarding flex fuel cars, I don't know about US but here in India, we have them. Currently, car companies in India are releasing CNG fitted cars which have a petrol to CNG and CNG to petrol switch which is working out very well for an average Indian looking out for flex fuel options but the main problem comes when the car is switched from CNG to petrol as the mileage drops drastically causing severe impact on overall fuel efficiency. Also, the pickup of a car on CNG is a little bit reduced than a petrol car and after running a car on CNG fuel for one year, it is not recommended to drive that car on petrol. Least but not last, CNG is the cheapest fuel in India and despite knowing that it compromises the engine to some extent, people are buying CNG fitted cars or are getting their existing cars fitted with CNG as an alternative fuel.
Also nowadays, the pickup problem with CNG is controlled with the use of Lambda device which is now coming handy with most government approved imported and local CNG kits.
His jetta is probably from the early 2000s. Flexfuel is in USA but hard to find stations in large cities with the option to purchase.
Many times this country, USA, is resistant to change or it is such a long drawn out process when it is approved; bureaucratic red tape.
Good, that you wrote about preferring diesel car as I expected before reading the hub. Hope you friend is opted for diesel car after reading this hub. Thank u for sharing.
Hi, you forgot the core of petrol engines. Petrol cars are very much more comfortable then diesel cars why?? Because petrol engines are very much silent, has less vibrations as compared to the diesel cars.
If you are thinking from good and comfrotable ride with fuel efficiency. Petrol cars are the best.
Think the difference between diesel bullet and petrol bullet. Diesel bullet vibrates like hell. This is all because diesel engine are compression ignition as compared to the pertrol which have spark plug promises the smooth engine running.
Thats why no big buses and trucks use petrol engines. They have bigger body. So, the vibrations you will not feel. as compared to the diesel cars. It s individual choise to buy diesel or petrol.
Thank you so much ocbill, sarovai, and techno-hub for your visit and commments.
hey soni..really nice hub, beautiful cars
really superb cars...
Thank you so much for your visit and encouragement Kamran.
Awesome hub my friend! It's interesting to see just what kind of foreign cars there are out there! For example, I didn't even know that a Nissan Micra existed!
Thanks for the visit autoaficianado.
Hi Soni,
Thanks a bunch for your opinion. I am still under the same dilemma. Initially, I was stuck to the Swift VDi but then a few of my uncles told me to go for the petrol version of Swift. The reason they gave is that since I would be using my car only during weekends and not during the weekdays, it would be better for me to go with a petrol engine. A diesel engine is a "pile of junk if not used for atleast 30 kms everyday". In quotes as told to me by my uncle.
That is why I have now been put into a dilemma and not sure which one i should go with - Petrol or Diesel Swift ??
Also, The Swift 2011 is being launched in Oct this year at the Paris Motor Show. It really is a beautiful car and a piece of art. Longer and wider than the current swift, it has steering mounted controls and many other features of a top-end car.
Hi John, your uncles are right. You should go ahead with purchase of petrol variant. Thanks for the link to that article on Swift 2011.
Hey any suggesstions about VW polo diesel?.Whether it is worth to buy by giving 6, 22,000(on road price in chennai) for basic model(trend line).
Hi soni, nice hub..
I decided to go for a Diesel Swift but your reply to John has again put me in a dilemma.
Assume I'm a user who could be between the users like Deepak and John. Which variant would you suggest?
Hi..!,
I'm having the same problem.I am yet to decide whether a petrol car or a diesel.Which company I should go?Can anybody suggest which car I should go with-Indica Vista Terra TDI,Ford Figo EXI or LXI(DIESEL),WagonR Vxi ,Estilo VXI or A-Star VXI.Budget limited to 4.5 Lakh and models as shortlisted above.Also write about OFFERS also. Pl. reply. Early.
Hi.. Same problem with me. Confused between Ritz petrol OR diesel.
Daily travel of 40 Kms.
3~4 long drives in year [200~250Kms up-down]
Planning to use the car for 5~6 years
Which one shall i go for Ritz Diesel OR Petrol??
Pls advise. I am planning to book a car in a day OR Two
I will recommend you RITZ Diesel...
I had taken Ritz genious (patrol) 20 days before...Ritz is the best car...in my case my daily avrage run is 15km (Ghar-Office-Ghar) in pune city...so i take this...
But for 40-50 km per day you just book DIESEL RITZ...
Amit
9823020339
Any Idea about Indigo e-CS BIV, Petrol / Diesel ? Are these cars worth money I would be spending to buy them ?
Friends as explained by Amit, it is really simple. If your daily average is run is more than 40 to 50 km then you should definitely go for a diesel version but if it is less than like in the range of 15 to 30, then you can stick with petrol version for any car.
Hari, Prasanta, and Jay can go ahead with Diesel cars. Best of luck.
Even I am in a dilemma of taking either petrol or diesel.
It’s for my family and daily usage is about 10-15 km and there would be trips say monthly twice or thrice to Hyderabad from place which is 100km away from my town.
Please do suggest which one is better in such a case?
If I go with diesel which diesel car is the best .
Range around 4-5. Lks .!!
Quick reply would be appreciated..!!
Thank s in advance..!!
WHICH CAR IS BETTER ??????? RITZ PETROL WITH CNG Vs ritz diesel
thanks
amitsaini2411@gmail.com
Hello Kavitha and Amit, see CNG is better than diesel is better than petrol. You can see how high petrol prices are going up so it is my advice that you can go for a company fitted CNG car or if you do not want to buy CNG, then you can go for either Swift or Ritz Diesel.
Hello everybody
if your running is 40-50 km/day
then you should go for deisel but if ur running is less than 25 km/day thn u should go with petrol variant.
life of petrol car is more than deisel car
petrol car is very silent as compare to the deisel one
petrol gives you better performance
whereas in case of deisel
after specific perioud of time u have to go for service otherwise your call will not give u milege and pick up
and service perioud is very short in deisel cars
whereas in petrol service time perioud is long
it is necessary to drive ur deisel car atleast 15 km per day but not in oetrol car
and the most important thing
there is huge difference betweent the price of petrol and deisel
there is Rs 100000 difference in which u can buy petrol for 2 years if ur running is 1500/ month
in my viees petrol is better thn deisel if ur running is not so long
i am also looking for a diesal car around 4-7 lacs but i am stuck between Hyundai I20, Maruti Swift and Ford fiesta..
please help me out.
thanks in advance
Dear Mr. Soni,
My driving is a max of 1000 kms/month within Kolkata city. Even Im thoroughly confused between Swift Zdi or Jazz (X or Select). Jazz is good to drive but gives a better profile statement. My question is-
1. Will Jazz return 12kmpl in city with AC always on?
2. And is the servicing cost much higher in Jazz (service schedule is 5k kms or 6 months which ever is earlier)
3. TCO in 7-9 yrs will be less in Jazz or Swift ZDI??
Pls. reply.
Dear Soni,
If the choice is betwen figo vxi diesel and new swift vdi, which one do you suggest. Ofcourse i will be getting more features v/s price in figo. Your kind suggection is highly appreciated. Thanks in advance
yes sir i agree go for swift.....
Please Suggest me whether Santro GlS is a good option to invest in. I found it spacious plus as running required is only around 25 to 30 km per day petrol version would be gud. Also, with the petrol version I'll be able to switch to CNG/LPG.
What u suggest?
Hi Soni ,my run will be 90-100 km daily ,should I go for a CNG Wagon R..will it last for next 7-8 years.My budget is 4.5 lacs where wagon R cng fits well.i also not hav problem of CNG stations on my way to office.Some suggests me go for beat diesel(PS 30-40k costlier) but i think that will be expensive over 7-8 yrs.what shd i do?
Good hub for car lovers!
Hi, my travel during weekdays is 25 kms per day. It may be 1000 kms per month on the whole with weekends. Iam interested in SWIFT VDI but is it a good idea to go for diesel car for that much of travel. Any practical problems with engine if I drive just 25 kms per day? Someone said that diesel engines do not have life more than 3 or 4 years ! Is it true? I wonder how come so many diesel cars are being launched by many companies?
plz clarify ... thanks !!!
can u pls suggest me between Beat Diesel and Polo petrol.My daily running is around 40 km/day and sometimes on a long drive around 200 kms every 3 months.
hi sir m a college student ,i need a hatchback in range till 5 lac ,i have a daily run of 40 kms in city..so can u please help wheather to go 4r diesel or cng version . i hav selected 2 cars i 10 wid company fitted cng or maruti suzuki ritz...and does diesel engines need a lot of maintanance !!
sir pls revert asap .....i m vry thankful to u
confused between honda jazz or i20 ...pl help...my daily driving s limited to 30 km perday....budget is 6.5 laks.]thxs..
Let me know about indica vista disel model
Looking at budget i have make up my mind to go for BEAT DIESEL CAR.How much advisable it is to go for this. My only doubt is that i have to drive it only about my800-1000 km in a month. Is BEAT diesel CAR is manageable in such conditions.
Hi All, Your posts are intresting and helps me learn something new .I am planning for hyndai i10 Nxt gen(petrol), I travel Weekdays about 40-45Kms and I am have opted for Petrol since I stay in my current place not more than 2.5 years and do have plan to resell it within 3yrs. So considering the Onroad price of two variants, I dont see any big difference between these two within 3yrs. Could you throw somemore ideas on this please.
N.B: I did gave the advance to Hyndai dealer :( also seeing few blogs about i10 (diesel) but not very much promising news.
I switched to running diesel cars over 20 years ago owing to a long commute to work and I have never looked back. Personally I have found Peugeot to be the best and most reliable manufacturer for diesel cars (and I have also owned Ford and Audi diesels)
pls give ur suggestions yar plsssssssssssssssssssssssssss............................
Hi All,
Even i did the R&D between Petrol & diesel cars. Finally came to know following facts....
Why Diesel ?
If your usage is more than 700 kmpl in a month & if you have a cash in hand to buy diesel car without any car loan, then its best option to go for diesel car
Why Petrol ?
If your usage is less than 700 kmpl in a month & if you wish to go for car loan then don't think about the diesel car.
Diesel car is one time investment where as in case of petrol car you will spend money like a loan in terms of petrol. And also consider the additional interest charges to pay for diesel cars.
Finally its depend on car usage & your credit limit.
In my openion diesel car is best,but all are preffering petrol cars for low km riders,this words are okay,but once if we want to go a long journey means,at that time we calculate the difference between petrol&diesel(this is a real fact)so beware- petrol riders
@Raj, Your logic is good, but, let me tell you that in the begining we make very vague calculations of your daily running and finally when the car is in the hand we want to explore more. That is the time a petrol car starts pinching. A diesel offers much more. And truly unchains you.
Bottom line is if your budget permits invest in diesel.
If we work out the stats below is an example
Diesel Petrol
Cost 45 Cost 70
Mileage 20 Mileage 15
Normalized
(Rs) (Fuel (Rs)
Km Fuel +Initial diff) Km Fuel
5000 11250 131250 5000 23333
10000 22500 142500 10000 46667
15000 33750 153750 15000 70000
20000 45000 165000 20000 93333
25000 56250 176250 25000 116667
30000 67500 187500 30000 140000
35000 78750 198750 35000 163333
40000 90000 210000 40000 186667
45000 101250 221250 45000 210000
50000 112500 232500 50000 233333 -> Break Even
55000 123750 243750 55000 256667
Initial Difference in Cost Rs 1,20,000/-
Break Even at 50000km
Regret the formating on top.
But, the site does not support tabs.
Bottom line is that the diesel breaks even after 50,000km.
So you can work out your usage and the best deal for you.
plesae sugess me best car in tis time milage for my field work in diesel ver. cheaf and best and low mentinance
my e maiil address alok.vijayshree@gmail.com, vijayshree.alok@gmail.com, incometax.alok@gmail.com
Hi Rajinder Soni,
I am following ur Hub since last year and m very impressed by some posts.
I booked Swift vdi ABS deisel 2011 in March 2011. Now its converted to New Swift ZDI by default. 8 months passed still i am waiting for delivery coz of Manesar strike.
I need ur opinion.. Shall i wait for few more days or i have to go for Brio or i-20.
Please suggest.. Waiting :)
Regards,
Asif (Pune)
Asif Your wait is worthy.. Swift is the best diesel car in the mid segment for india
Ppl loking for Vento diesel please dont be moved by the brand it just an extension to polo, better choices Swift D'zire and Fludic Verna (Excellent)
Thanks Raj,
I knew that swift diesel is superb car but...i am waiting since march, still not got delivery...
Hence frustrated...
I can wait till Eid i.e. on 7th Nov.
can any one help me to advise which car is better cherverle beat diesel or toyota viva diesel pl help
Hi Rajendar soni,
Can you suggest me a car in less than 5 lakh range.
My usage would be like 40km, only on weekends.
Diesel or petrol??
If so, which car In the current Market ??
Thanks
Shekar...
Buy Honda Brio or Nano..
Hi guys,
Its very good to see so many good comments and i can see i have developed more knowledge about choosing cars. but still i need your suggestion.
Infact i am planning to buy my first car of life in march feb-march 2012. my budget is max till 5 lac.
My usage will be 20 -30 km in a week.
I am looking for good stylish car.please suggest me whether should i buy diesel or petrol car.also suggest for which car i should go for although i have shortlisted some cars (EON,FIGO,SWIFT,PUNTO).
Thanks in advance.
confused???????? should i buy beat diseal or not ? actually look is nice and millege too good
@Hrishi : Dude you usage is just 20-30 Kms a Week ?? blindly got for Petrol, If you sure of it, mostly diesel is useful when its kms/day = 40Kms, but Yours is just Week, and about Cars, its upto You, test drive all the above Cars you have mentioned and Pick a good one, Swift has good resale too.
Which car I should by swift petrol or figo disel because nowadays the petrol prises are rising so far and lots of people are moving towards disel car but my usage of car is not so much so what I have to do? I am confused and tell me about figo diesel if I go for diesel car
Nice hub..helpful
Hi,
I want to bye Swift VDi but my monthly run is 1000km.
SO Is it a good choice?
Hi,
I would like to buy car of range between 5-7 Lakhs,
so i'm bit confused with Toyota Liva,Hyundai i20 and swift within this range,so please could you suggest me on the same,thanks in advance.
09.12.2011
Very soon, I am going to buy a car i 20 . But My doubt is which is the best one petrol or disel. Pl give explanation
MY DAILY TRAVEL IS 40-50 KMS.SHOULD I GO FOR DIESEL OR PETROL VEHICLE. ALSO WHICH IS THE BEST CAR IN THE 9-11 LACS SEDAN. I HAVE THOUGHT OF VW VENTO,FIAT LINEA,GM OPTRA,NISSAN SUNNY,SKODA RAPID.KINDLY SUGGEST. THANKS. YOGESH
Hi, I have planned to go for diesel car...stuck between Ford Figo and Swift diesel...Swift has power and torque and even milege...but figo has comfort , music system and boot space....i need better interior and music system and good milege...which is better? few reviews are saying that ford has problems with 2 and 3 rd gear in low speeds...is that true??? ground clearance is so less tht it hits the speed brakers and pits if its a little bit high or deep and maintenance wise is expensive...so...which is better...plsssssss suggest????
i hav already booked a diesel car.....:(
my daily running is 15 to 20 km n may be 100 on weekends...
daily running car creap up 2....
so did i make a bad decision....??
someone pls suggest me wat to do....
hi,dear friends,please advise,which car to buy,diesel or petrol.my daily running would be around 30 to 40 kms a day.also keep in mind that i am mainly looking for great comfort,good mileage,and low maintenance cost.i intend to keep car for at least 5 to 7 years.i dont speedup beyond 80 kms as i enjoy driving between 60 and 70 kms .my budget is from 4.5 to 6 lakhs.i live in delhi ncr.this shall be my first new car.All you friends,your suggestions and advice would be really appreciated.Thanks and all the best to you all.
2011 Skoda Fabia 1.2 TDI Diesel / I20 Diesel ?
I run about 40 - 50 kms daily. So i would be going for a Diesel car. But could anyone of you suggest which among these would be a better choice ?
Hi All,
I am travelling daily 80 KMS from my home to office and i decide to buy a Diesel car with in a price between 4-6 Lakhs. Please any one let me know which diesel car is best to buy with bettter performance, low Maintenance,good milage
Thanks in advance
Regards
A.Rajesh Kumar
My Mail-id rajeshkumar_3@rediffmail.com
Hi all!!! i'm planning to get my first car.. it is swift & its my dream car.. i commute 35 kms everyday to office.. in the weekends, i may go out for family outings for an avg 60kms/week.. i would use this car atleast for 5 years.. also note i shall pay 3 lacs as down payment please suggest whether i go for petrol (VXi) or diesel (VDi) Thanks!!
Petrol cars are smoother, comfortable to drive in comparison to Diesel Cars. If your daily run is less than 30 KM than price difference itself will cover the economy part. Comfortable maintenance free car owning is will be added advantage.
More than 30 KM Run per day , than it shall be diesel , because than the fuel economy difference is huge on a bit of compromise on pick-up and maintenance.
Should i buy diesel dzire or petrol dzire..my montly run nt more than 150 km..pls suggest
plz suggest i am booking new dzire i will use only on sundays 120km a month . What to chose petrol or diesel . As diesel has better mielage & price of petrol is increasing continously.
I am looking to buy a Diesel Car and especially looking for i20 diesel. Will it be fine or any other cars which has same features with slight disfference in price. i20 sports Z diesel onroad costing around 7.7Lakhs
sir / madam ,
pls tell me m want nisan micra kya m next month purchage krlu ya wait kru
HI
what about TATA INDICA VISTA desiel varient?? IS IT BETTER THAN sWIFT???
Also if dialy travel is between 25-30 What do you suggest???
Can any one share the experience of i10 LPG? I am planning to buy in this month and any suggestion are appreciated
Hi All,
Anyone assist me shall I go for RITZ diesel and is ther any upgraded version is coming in RITZ
Regards
A.Rajesh Kumar
My Mail-id rajeshkumar_3@rediffmail.com
Hi All,
@ Rajeshwari - Buy a petrol car as post the budget on March 16, diesel cars may get taxed about 10% more on excise or a flat Rs.80,000/-. Also currently it is next to impossible that you will get any popular diesel car delivered before the budget. Considering your options Swift petrol seems like a good fit. Also 25 to 30 kms a day will not give you massive savings if you opt for a diesel car even if prices of cars and fuel stay the same.
thanks man .that hub helped me alot
hi sir, ple help for best car to swift vdi or new dzier vdi
After the budget all the above are again valid
Hi everyone,i don't understand why all are too much discussing about fuel efficiency of deisel engine for long drives,whereas,they are missing one important fact in long drive..ie- 'comfortability in long drive' which a petrol engine satisfies better than deisel. If you are really planning for a car..then,it should must be a car..,means, smooth,quick pick up,low maintenance cost.. . We can't deny the fact that,petrol engines are more lasting than deisel. Maruti alto k10 is a new generation petrol engine,which satisfies your every need..even in fuel efficiency it can beat other deisel versions.
This message is useful. I am going to run the vehicle in rural areas. What about ambassador? is it worth going for one and what about the cost?
Hi Deepak,
First of all thanks for the good work.
Myself and my husband are planning to buy a sedan, tata Manza. But I am insisting on buying diesel car, but my husband wants to buy a pertrol variant.
I hv heard that if the daily running of the car is less than 50 km that petrol car is good. but the petrol costs are sky high , and will increase day-by-day.I am very much confused. Please advice. As of now our daily running will not be greater than 50 kms.
agusfanani Level 3 Commenter 23 months ago
An informative hub and very useful since so many people have the same dilemma when they come to such options. Thank you for sharing.