Diesel / Petrol Fuel Price Difference

[Basher]

Been out in the car today and noticed that there is up to 11p difference in the price of petrol and diesel. Has anyone have an explanation as to why the difference is so large now, especially as we are told that there are less diesel cars being purchase today? Also what will the oil companies do with the refined diesel when cars no longer use it?

 

[greatkingrat]

Diesel demand has massively increased over the last 20 years. Even if diesel cars stopped being manufactured tomorrow, you still have all the existing cars that could keep running for another 20 years, not to mention the HGVs that always have used diesel.

https://www.racfoundation.org/data/volume-petrol-diesel-consumed-uk-over-time-by-year

 

[furnessvale]

Been out in the car today and noticed that there is up to 11p difference in the price of petrol and diesel. Has anyone have an explanation as to why the difference is so large now, especially as we are told that there are less diesel cars being purchase today? Also what will the oil companies do with the refined diesel when cars no longer use it?

This has been mentioned before and AIUI the UK has a surplus of refined petrol and a shortage of refined diesel. I believe this is partially due to the nature of UK refining capacity and partially due to our over reliance on diesel transport on rail and road.

Therefore we have to import refined diesel from the continent which pushes up cost. Excise duty is the same on both so that cannot be a factor.

 

[Basher]

But why such a big price difference? Diesel was almost always a couple of pence more expensive than petrol, but 11 p per litre sounds strange to me.

 

[furnessvale]

But why such a big price difference? Diesel was almost always a couple of pence more expensive than petrol, but 11 p per litre sounds strange to me.

I have no idea but supply and demand is a big driver of price.

 

[Basher]

This sort of issue always makes me think who's on the make!

 

[thejuggler]

I have no idea but supply and demand is a big driver of price.

That's the only driver. We only produce a limited amount of diesel and in winter it is used for heating buildings as well as vehicles. That pushes demand and therefore the price up.

 

[Cowley]

Twenty years ago it was the other way around, we were told that diesel was the way to go and a turbo diesel was more environmentally friendly as well as more economical.
Petrol cars are now seen as cleaner though.

 

[mikeg]

IIRC at one point petrol was more expensive than diesel during the summer and vice versa during the winter. There were two reasons for this: One is that a different mix of petrol is used during summer for pollution control reasons (the winter grade being more liable to evaporation but also cheaper). The second reason being that the fraction of oil used for diesel fuel is essentially the same as heating oil, which sees an uplift in demand during winter. The result being that diesel fuel became more expensive as it would be required to store it during the summer months. Longer hydrocarbons can be cheaply and effectively 'cracked' into smaller ones, but I believe it's harder to elongate them.

Don't know how this holds up today but it was on Radio 4 a few years ago so must be true

 

[cav1975]

Twenty years ago it was the other way around, we were told that diesel was the way to go and a turbo diesel was more environmentally friendly as well as more economical.
Petrol cars are now seen as cleaner though.

The view from 20 years ago is correct. Modern diesels are as clean as modern petrols but emit far less CO2. The current switch back to petrol is going to be a real problem for global warming.

 

[richw]

The view from 20 years ago is correct. Modern diesels are as clean as modern petrols but emit far less CO2. The current switch back to petrol is going to be a real problem for global warming.

But diesels emit far more nitrates.
I’ve both a diesel and petrol car.
I put diesel in today and noticed 10p a litre difference. my diesel will do 350 miles easily on £30 diesel. My petrol car takes £58 to fill it and only does 295 miles from a tank. The diesel is far quicker accelerating, far nicer to drive despite being 7-8 years older than my petrol car.

 

[GB]

The view from 20 years ago is correct. Modern diesels are as clean as modern petrols but emit far less CO2. The current switch back to petrol is going to be a real problem for global warming.

Neither diesel or petrol are clean but CO2 levels are not the only things to consider. Diesel produces far more NOx gases and particulate matter than petrol and is a considerable factor in local pollution in towns and cities and the main contributor to human medial conditions.

 

[whhistle]

Modern diesels are as clean as modern petrols but emit far less CO2. The current switch back to petrol is going to be a real problem for global warming.

Do you have a source for this?

I thought diesels (despite their gubbins to reduce it) emitted more nitrous oxidesthan petrol engines, hence the move to get rid of them (which IMO should be in a couple of years for consumer cars), THEN look at other vehicles.

The diesel is far quicker accelerating, far nicer to drive despite being 7-8 years older than my petrol car.

This is it.
I'm potentially in the market for a new (well, 2nd, 3rd, 4th hand) car.
But I don't travel enough per day (around 12 miles, non motorway, cross country) to warrant a diesel.
But the diesel I do own is faster, I guess because of what they used to call turbos. Whether diesel cars still have these I don't know, and I don't suppose they're easy to fit to petrols?

But then by the time they work out how they're going to go with petrol cars, electrics will be around a lot more.

 

[thenorthern]

Some of it is supply and demand as well as competition, the two cheapest fuel stations in the country are normally Sainsburys and ASDA which are opposite each other in Tamworth, I thought that the reason why both were so cheap was because they were near Kingsbury Oil Terminal but according to the cashier there its because if one lowers their price the other one has to as to motorists 1p a litre less than another garage is a big selling point.

 

[EssexGonzo]

Do you have a source for this?

I thought diesels (despite their gubbins to reduce it) emitted more nitrous oxidesthan petrol engines, hence the move to get rid of them (which IMO should be in a couple of years for consumer cars), THEN look at other vehicles.




This is it.
I'm potentially in the market for a new (well, 2nd, 3rd, 4th hand) car.
But I don't travel enough per day (around 12 miles, non motorway, cross country) to warrant a diesel.
But the diesel I do own is faster, I guess because of what they used to call turbos. Whether diesel cars still have these I don't know, and I don't suppose they're easy to fit to petrols?

But then by the time they work out how they're going to go with petrol cars, electrics will be around a lot more.

Most new petrol engines are now smaller but with turbos too. It unusual to find a new normally aspirated engine.

For your mileage - given the relatively higher price of a newer diesel car, vs a newer petrol, the price of diesel fuel and - more importantly - the fact that a DPF (diesel particulate filter fitted to all diesels since 2008-ish) does not like short journeys and needs a longer "blast" to burn the soot it catches, I'd be avoiding another diesel like the plague.

Electric would be right up your street if the budget stretches and if you have somewhere to charge it. Though for 60 miles per week / 3,000 miles per year, a petrol should do you nicely.

 

[Basher]

As we seem to be banning the use of diesel and now wood/coal burning stoves. Will this mean that oil fired central heating is on it's way out?

 

[richw]

the diesel I do own is faster, I guess because of what they used to call turbos. Whether diesel cars still have these I don't know, and I don't suppose they're easy to fit to petrols?

A focus or fiesta ecoboost 125 I would recommend you try. They are 1.0 turbo charged petrol engines. I had a hired one not long ago and I was left very impressed.
I believe Vauxhall also offer a 1.0 turbo in an Astra but no experience of that. I’m guessing it’s more widespread than that too

 

[Busaholic]

Some of it is supply and demand as well as competition, the two cheapest fuel stations in the country are normally Sainsburys and ASDA which are opposite each other in Tamworth, I thought that the reason why both were so cheap was because they were near Kingsbury Oil Terminal but according to the cashier there its because if one lowers their price the other one has to as to motorists 1p a litre less than another garage is a big selling point.

Just watch the price soar when Sainsburys and Asda merge!

 

[cjmillsnun]

But diesels emit far more nitrates.
I’ve both a diesel and petrol car.
I put diesel in today and noticed 10p a litre difference. my diesel will do 350 miles easily on £30 diesel. My petrol car takes £58 to fill it and only does 295 miles from a tank. The diesel is far quicker accelerating, far nicer to drive despite being 7-8 years older than my petrol car.

Nitrates? I think you mean oxides of nitrogen (NOx). On older diesels they do indeed. NOx creates smog and is bloody nasty stuff. New Euro 6 diesels emit no more NOx than a Euro 6 Petrol but require very complicated control system with Urea injection to get there.

Your petrol must be very inefficient. I'm getting 380 miles from just under £50 of petrol in the hire car I'm in at the moment.

 

[Meerkat]

New Euro 6 diesels emit no more NOx than a Euro 6 Petrol

According to whom.......?