Hi,

Im looking at getting a new fiesta probably from around 2015.

I was going to get an 1.6L diesel ECOnetic model as gets an average of 61mpg compared to the 1L petrol ecoboost which only gets 46mpg.

However, i only tend to travel short journeys probably only 20 minutes at a time. Would i still be better off getting the ECOnetic model?

Thanks,

Jack

With your milage Petrol would make more sense:

Info from The Money Advice Service:

Diesel cars usually cost more than petrol. Diesel fuel is more expensive than petrol and servicing or fixing a serious problem on a diesel car might be slightly more expensive. New diesel cars also cost more to tax than petrol cars, and depreciation is now slightly higher. There are a number of new charges, such as the London T-Charge and Ultra Low Emissions Zone, that will make it more expensive to drive some diesels in certain cities.

Keep in mind that newer diesels have a special filter fitted to help prevent pollution. It’s called a diesel particulate filter (DPF). These can clog if the vehicle isn’t used regularly on a motorway, and is costly to fix or replace. This means if you don’t use motorways often, a diesel might not be for you.

Diesel is more expensive than petrol at the pumps, but you will get more MPG so costs less per mile, even if you only do short journeys.  

New diesels don't cost more to tax than petrols, on a 2015 model the 1.6TDCi Fiesta will be £0 tax anyway.

Even though I do mostly very short journeys, I could never afford the fuel on a petrol myself, always annoys me when people compare pump prices without factoring in the extra MPG!  

 

Are the 20 minute journeys in stop start town traffic or is it steady B roads & dual carriageways?  If it's stop start traffic then I'm afraid the DPF will cause you problems and you'll need to go petrol.

Diesel is only 1p more expensive round here.

But with low mileage get the petrol, the diesel takes a lot longer to warm and become efficient so in use i doubt ther would be any difference in economy if there is i suspect the petrol may just have the edge.

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Diesel is more expensive than petrol at the pumps, but you will get more MPG so costs less per mile, even if you only do short journeys.

I agree, but only just.  Comparing a 2014 3.0 tdi A4 and a 2017 S4 (also a 3.0T but petrol) the difference wasn't worth using the diesel on my 5 mile (each way) commute.

Working it out from the mpg measured at the tank and with current average fuel prices, it comes out as £626.85 and £562.15 to cover 3,000 commuting miles a year for petrol (28mpg) and diesel (32mpg) respectively.  Yes, it's more expensive, but not enough to choose the diesel with worries about the DPF clogging and the fact the engine takes significantly longer to warm up which is painfully obvious on cold mornings.

Add to that the regen cycles for the DPF only happened on slightly longer drives, so when I eventually used the diesel for something other than commuting over a longer distance it chewed through additional fuel to heat the DPF and I found I never properly recovered the average mpg.  The longer distance fuel economy was almost the same in reality at ~40mpg for both cars.

Just my personal experiences in the matter!  :)

Short journeys mean the DPF in diesels struggle to complete a regeneration cycle. 

Get the petrol for your usage criteria. 

Having had both diesel and ecoboost Fiestas, I doubt you'd see 61 mpg for the use you describe, though mid-40s would be reasonable for the ecoboost, and as others say, no worries about dpf regeneration. 

 

1 hour ago, Daggerit said:

I agree, but only just.  Comparing a 2014 3.0 tdi A4 and a 2017 S4 (also a 3.0T but petrol) the difference wasn't worth using the diesel on my 5 mile (each way) commute.

Working it out from the mpg measured at the tank and with current average fuel prices, it comes out as £626.85 and £562.15 to cover 3,000 commuting miles a year for petrol (28mpg) and diesel (32mpg) respectively.  Yes, it's more expensive, but not enough to choose the diesel with worries about the DPF clogging and the fact the engine takes significantly longer to warm up which is painfully obvious on cold mornings.

Add to that the regen cycles for the DPF only happened on slightly longer drives, so when I eventually used the diesel for something other than commuting over a longer distance it chewed through additional fuel to heat the DPF and I found I never properly recovered the average mpg.  The longer distance fuel economy was almost the same in reality at ~40mpg for both cars.

Just my personal experiences in the matter!  🙂

I don't think anyone buying a 3.0 is worried about MPG...   

My personal experience of midsize 2.0 petrols vs 2.0 diesels is about 15-25mpg different which is a huge amount over a month, let alone a year (6k for me).  Plus over £100 less to tax the diesel as well.  

I hate diesel and have constant DPF regens...if I could afford to run an equivalent petrol, I totally would!!