Study Highlights Financial Benefits Of New Diesel Vehicles

2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI (Credit: Volkswagen )

According to a new study done by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s Automotive Futures group, modern diesel vehicles can save owners a significant amount of money. The study took into account the higher purchase price of a diesel model versus a gasoline-powered equivalent, plus the various maintenance considerations.

The group looked at diesel-powered and equivalent gasoline-powered vehicles that were sold at auction during 2012 and 2013. As a conclusion, the group says that owners can save up to $7,000 when going with the diesel option.

This might be a little hard for most Americans to swallow, considering that many are still skeptical about the benefits of going with diesel versus gasoline. After all, even routine maintenance on a diesel engine of any size can cost a pretty penny.

There were two factors in the study that more than neutralized the extra expenses of owning a diesel-powered vehicle. The first was the fact that diesel costs less than gasoline, which lowers the operational expenses. The second was the lower depreciation that diesel-powered vehicles experience versus gasoline-powered models.

Going with a diesel-powered SUV or passenger car yields the biggest fuel savings. The study found that those vehicles attained about 12 to 27 percent better fuel economy when compared to gasoline-powered models. When it came to medium-duty pickup trucks, the difference was about 4 to 8 percent.

If the conclusion of the report is correct, more diesel cars should start appearing in the United States. The prediction is that the rising CAFE fuel economy standards will make it so automakers must turn to diesel engines in bigger numbers. The move would almost force consumers to give diesel models a try, and they might even find that they like it.

Of course, the study did admit that without the fuel savings being factored in, owning a diesel vehicle is actually more expensive. Insurance, repairs, maintenance and even taxes are in general more costly when a car runs on diesel.