Diesel vehicles increasingly hard to make profitable

Figures published by motoring association VAB suggest that drivers using diesel need to do 30,000km before it starts costing less than standard unleaded petrol, reports Flanders News. A year ago, a driver using diesel had to cover 25,000km a year to benefit from the investment; two years ago the figure was barely 15,000km. Each year the VAB carries out tests using 10 cars to calculate the distance required to benefit from using diesel. The VAB’s Maarten Matienko told De Zondag: “Of each model we tested a diesel and a petrol-fuelled engine with comparable horsepower. The real cost of the car was calculated including maintenance and purchase price.” The results are favourable for petrol-fuelled cars, and a diesel -powered vehicle only becomes more interesting if a motorist drives 30,000km a year: double the distance of two years ago. Matienko explained that modern diesel cars had become increasingly expensive, with the average diesel car costing €2,200 more than a petrol-fuelled model. He also pointed to the Euro-6 standard that becomes operational in September next year, under which new, expensive technology is required to meet stricter emission standards.