Diesel Engines Burn Unsuspecting Car Leasing Customers
(PRWeb UK) April 19, 2011
First Vehicle Leasing has reported that more car leasing customers are opting for diesel engines than ever before. Lower CO2 emissions and higher fuel economy are appealing, but with the additional costs associated with todays finely tuned diesel engines, are the bills going to leave motorists feverish?
Soaring fuel prices mean that today, one of the main considerations when choosing a new lease car is fuel economy. It has even been suggested that many motorists are now more interested in how many miles per gallon can be achieved than miles per hour and this is understandable in an age where careless planning of the family budget could mean a choice between buying food and putting fuel in the car for the daily commute.
For many years Diesel engines were cast as a noisy, smelly and nasty alternative to petrol engines and thus were mainly reserved for trucks, vans and taxis. Today, you can find diesel engines in everything from an Audi A1 to a Le Mans racing car. The advent of smaller, cheaper diesel engines with turbochargers have allowed car manufacturers to develop diesel engines that are not only efficient, quiet and clean, but with enough power to rival larger engines. Add the benefits of the current Vehicle Excise Duty scale, with many small diesel engines paying little or no annual duty at all and surely everyone is a winner? A car which uses less fuel, is more environmentally friendly and offers similar power to previous larger equivalent engines… You’d be mad not to!
Before rushing to order one for each day of the week, consider some points which perhaps haven’t been considered by those who are not used to diesel cars.
Look closely at the cost of fuel, diesel is more expensive to buy than petrol and while a diesel engine can often offer more miles to a gallon of fuel, you’ll need to be travelling quite a few miles before you see the real benefits. Diesel engines are more expensive to produce, therefore they are more expensive to buy and more expensive to lease. You’ll find that as a diesel engine gets older it will get noisier and many motorists are put off by a car that sounds like a taxi. Diesel engines are now fitted with a device called a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF for short) which is designed to remove the familiar black soot that was associated with diesel engines of yesteryear and can even clean itself. Unfortunately though, these filters can only be cleaned when the vehicle is driven for around 10 minutes at speeds of above 40 miles an hour. Constant stop/start driving of vehicles which are fitted with DPF technology can cause the filter to block and if ignored can lead to expensive repair bills (a new DPF can cost around £1000!).
Even though diesel engines have been praised for their fuel efficiency and low Co2 emissions, it is becoming clear that perhaps they’re not as loved by everyone as first thought. The Royal Burgh of Kensington and Chelsea in England has recently announced that it will be slapping a £15 surcharge on parking permits for residents who own vehicles with diesel engines. Plainly put, if you have an Audi Q7 car leasing agreement and live in Kensington, expect to pay £176 just to park outside your home. It is understood that while the the low Co2 emissions of diesel engines are beneficial, the higher levels of other gasses such as NOx are causing concern for the quality of air. Only time will tell if other councils will follow suit.
The advice from First Vehicle Leasing is clear: whether you’re looking for personal or business car leasing deals, make sure you’ve done your homework before deciding on a car. If you’re a company car driver, make sure you’ve taken into account the CO2 emissions of your next vehicle to ensure you don’t get caught out when it comes to tax. If you’re opting for personal car leasing, ensure you’re aware of all the associated costs of running the vehicle you choose.
For unbiased advice on your next contract hire or car lease, contact First Vehicle Leasing at http://www.firstvehicleleasing.co.uk
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