car emissions diesel vs petrol, which car to buy

[Bunting2010]

Hi

Im confused wife needs a new car, cant afford electric. really drilling into emissions to try and do our bit.

Looking at a jag f pace or lexus 450h, i thought diesel were considered dirt polluters, emissions on the jaguar diesal version are less than the petrol version. ...

is it that diesels emit other pollutants other than what measure in the emissions tests?

Jag

Diesel version 2.0d emissions 183 g/km (band i) road tax 155 a year

petrol version 2.0i emissions s: 139 g/km ( E band) road tax 155 a year)

Lexus 450h 3.4i emissions 120 g/km ( C ) road tax 30 a year.

how is it the 450h with a 3.4i engine can be so low on emissions, granted it has a hybrid system. even with hyrbid when the 3.4 engine kicks in it will consume alot more petrol.

are emissions ratings fairing calculated and how

Thanks for any help.

[The spinner of plates]

All you can really do is pick the car / tax bracket that works for you and pray it doesn't change too much each budget!

[AlexIT]

If you search on google, you'll be able to find how the WLTP test is carried out.
However basically, most of the fuel is burned during acceleration phases and here the electric motor kicks in at full torque relieving the ICE from most of the power required, once speed is settled the ICE doesn't really need much power to keep the car running.

The load monitor on my BMW gives a figure of 40 to 50 bhp when driving at constant 50 or 60 mph...

[P700DEE]

As you have found its not easy.
Simple answer. Diesel produces less CO2 than petrol hence idiot politians promotting their sale a number of years ago and cheating car manufacturers making their cars look better on the test than they were in real life. Petrol is now favoured as diesel is tainted, they are supposedly more efficient now and produce much fewer of the "dangerous" particles and less Nitrogen oxides and these have now become more "relevant" to the polititians.
Buying an EV currently front loads the emmissions as EV take more energy to produce so are worse for emmissions on purchase but if the electricity produced was truely from a renewable source they would eventually be more eificient in terms of energy after about four years.
So in conclusion buying any new car is not good in any way for reducing either our carbon footprint or other emmissions unless you have a smelly old diesel that produces loads of toxic particles and NO2.
If you need a new car and find one you can currently buy thanks to the semi conductor shortage, then pick the one you like best and accept that at some point you will be told you have made the wrong decision.
Me I just run a 23 year old V8, it may currently use much more fuel but its build emmissions are long spent so until your EV gets a good number of years under its belt I'm still doing more for the environment than buying a new car I neither want or need.

[AlpineWhite]

CO2 is not the only thing they emit.

[PH User]

Bunting2010 said:

Hi

Im confused wife needs a new car, cant afford electric. really drilling into emissions to try and do our bit.

Looking at a jag f pace or lexus 450h, i thought diesel were considered dirt polluters, emissions on the jaguar diesal version are less than the petrol version. ...

is it that diesels emit other pollutants other than what measure in the emissions tests?

Jag

Diesel version 2.0d emissions 183 g/km (band i) road tax 155 a year

petrol version 2.0i emissions s: 139 g/km ( E band) road tax 155 a year)

Lexus 450h 3.4i emissions 120 g/km ( C ) road tax 30 a year.

how is it the 450h with a 3.4i engine can be so low on emissions, granted it has a hybrid system. even with hyrbid when the 3.4 engine kicks in it will consume alot more petrol.

are emissions ratings fairing calculated and how

Thanks for any help.

Does your wife need such a big car? If you want to do your bit then that's where I would be looking 1st.

[J4CKO]

Maybe get a small petrol car, use it sparingly and do more walking and cycling ?

[LuS1fer]

If I drive my Insignia B 1.6/200PS sympathetically and on a light throttle, I can get 40-50 mpg. If I drive it like a tw*t, I can get around 27. So driving technique can often make more difference although driving a more economical car lightly will have the same commensurate gains.

[Muddle238]

With respect, if you’re trying to do your bit regarding emissions, then shortlisting a couple of 2 tonne SUVs is likely not the best route.

The official MPG/emissions figures are always on the optimistic side anyway, they don’t take into account your personal driving style or usage.

If you want something that’s efficient, look at virtually anything except SUVs.

[Haltamer]

https://www.greenncap.com/

Here's a good resource for you.

The best thing you can do is drive less, and go smaller:- Transporting 1-2 Tonnes of metal around uses energy no matter the source, so walking, cycling, combining trips and so on are better than anything else.

[CG2020UK]

Electric cars are really designed to be leased at the moment the way the market is with used cars being so expensive.

The cars you have mentioned I’d imagine are £30K+ cars.

That gets you a brand new Hyundai Kona electric or VW ID3.

[rampageturke]

this has to be a wind up

[willmagrath]

Diesels produce less C02 but more particulates (the black crud) and noxious gases from the exhaust.