Diesel cars are often more expensive to run than petrol cars, research from Which? has revealed.
Diesel cars usually have superior fuel economy to petrol cars and attract less tax, but are typically £1,000 to £2,000 more expensive than their petrol equivalents. Because of this, petrol engines are often more cost effective for people covering a typical annual mileage.
Which? tested a variety of cars and their diesel counterparts including a Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Astra, VW Tiguan, VW Sharan, BMW 5 Series and Peugeot 308 SW, and found that it could take up to 14 years to recoup the extra money spent on the diesel car in the first place.
2012 is set to be the year in which diesel overtakes petrol on the new car market; however, if you're planning on getting a new car, be warned that unless you cover a high annual mileage, you could be better off with petrol.
