Travelling 86 miles a day to work and back in my Peugeot 206 costs a lot of money, especially now petrol prices have soared, so I have been considering getting a new more economical car.

All the economical petrol cars my colleagues have suggested are just not my cup of tea though. The Toyota Aygo and Fiat 500 Twin Air have been a popular suggestions, and with the Aygo offering 64.1 mpg in the combined cycle and the 500 Twin Air doing 68.9 miles per gallon, fuel economy is obviously a big selling point for these cars. Not for me though, I am not a fan of the Aygo’s rear design and the Fiat 500 is just too ‘cute’ for me. Both of these are city cars too so neither have a powerful enough engine to be suitable for regular motorway driving.

So what’s the answer? Diesel cars certainly offer better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions than their petrol counterparts. Take the Ford Focus for example, the 2.0i Duratec petrol engine with manual transmission does just 39.8 miles per gallon (combined cycle) and emits 169g/km of CO2, compared to the 2.0 TDCi Duratorq diesel engine which is capable of 51.3mpg and emits 144g/km of CO2. Historically diesel engines have been noisier than petrol, although modern diesels are now a lot quieter. Of course diesel costs marginally more than petrol but you do get more miles for your money.
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