To look at the mainstream media you might think diesel cars are on their last legs and that these polluting monsters will soon be confined to the history books. Of course on the ground the story is very different. Irish garages are still servicing a majority diesel car parc and most drivers seem quite happy with their diesel vehicles.

A new survey by UK motoring magazine What Car? supports this view. It has found that in many cases choosing a diesel still makes perfect sense and that diesel cars are suited to more than twice as many motorists as petrol. It has also found that hybrid should be the way ahead for most drivers. According to What Car? 60% are best suited to hybrid, although hybrids account for only 4% of the UK car fleet.

To make the point the authors have developed an online tool called “What Fuel?”. This analyses factors such as annual mileage, type of roads travelled on most often and most common individual journeys. It then uses this information to assess what fuel type is best suited, financially and environmentally, for each motorist.

In its first week, more than 5800 motorists used the tool to find out what fuel type or powertrain they should buy in order to be most cost-effective and efficient. More than one in 10 (11%) found that a diesel was the optimal choice, compared with just 4% who were recommended a petrol car.

While the choice of viable electric cars is growing, range anxiety and infrastructure currently count against them. But hybrid cars’ combination of a greener electric motor coupled with the added protection of a combustion engine increasingly makes them an ideal compromise for many.

What Car? Editor, Steve Huntingford, said, “Recent research we carried out revealed that more than half of motorists find the most frustrating thing about buying a new car is the sheer amount of choice they have to wade through in terms of engines, models, spec levels, etc. This confusion is then compounded by the uncertainty over fuel types, taxation and the future direction of the motor industry.”

The What Fuel? tool consists of four simple questions to find out the driver’s typical mileage, driving style and environment. The tool’s recommendations are then calculated based on factors that affect a vehicle’s suitability to a driver, such as running costs and emissions.
You can see which type of car is most suited to you at: https://www.whatcar.com/what-fuel-tool/