Difference Between Petrol Cars and Diesel Cars
Understanding this comparison of petrol and diesel cars is essential when purchasing a vehicle that fits your requirement. This blog will guide you through crucial aspects of petrol and diesel cars. Before moving ahead with how petrol and diesel-powered engines work, let's look at the differences between diesel cars and petrol cars.
Petrol Car Vs Diesel Car: Which Is Better?
Parameters | Diesel Cars | Petrol Cars |
Purchasing Cost | Starts from ₹ 5 lakh | Starts from ₹ 2 lakh |
Maintenance Cost | Higher costs of spare parts | Lesser costs of spare parts |
Fuel Cost | Lower | Higher |
Mileage/Fuel Efficiency (Average) | 24 Km per litre | 20 Km per litre |
CO2 Emission Levels | Releases less CO2 | Releases more CO2 |
Running Cost | ₹ 9 per km | ₹ 4 per km |
What Is a Petrol Car?
A petrol-powered engine utilises spark plugs to ignite the mixture of air and fuel.
The year 2021 witnessed a market share of 76% for petrol-powered vehicles, despite the rising cost of petrol. However, these petrol-powered cars share both advantages and disadvantages, which are listed below:
Pros of Petrol Cars
- The petrol-powered vehicles are cheaper compared to diesel ones.
- The sound released from petrol engines is slightly minimal, offering a quieter riding experience.
- Maintenance cost of petrol-powered cars is usually lower.
- They provide optimum acceleration and therefore are more responsive than their diesel counterparts.
- These vehicles offer effective driving performance in extreme weather conditions.
Cons of Petrol Cars
- These provide lower fuel efficiency, unlike its diesel counterparts.
- Heavy vehicles are not suitable to be operated on petrol.
- Petrol-powered cars depreciate faster.
- These four-wheelers do not attract substantial resale prices in the used car market.
What Is a Diesel Car?
The primary difference between petrol and diesel cars is that the operation of diesel engines depends upon compressed air, unlike the spark-ignited system employed by petrol-powered cars. A diesel engine collects the air, compresses it, and instils the fuel into the heavily compressed air. The heat produced by the compressed air aids in igniting the fuel.
Diesel-powered vehicles provide optimum fuel efficiency since the compression proportion is higher, nearly 14 to 25 times its original volume.
Take a look at the following advantages and disadvantages of diesel cars.
Pros of Diesel Cars
- As stated earlier, diesel engines provide effective fuel efficiency and release less CO2 into the air, making them slightly environment-friendly.
- The pulling power or torque of diesel engines is more than petrol engines, making them suitable for heavy vehicles to carry the bulk of goods.
- Diesel-powered cars provide an excellent driving experience in higher altitudes as there is no specific need to maintain the air-fuel ratio.
- Diesel engines are more robust as they have to bear heavily compressed air and are durable in the long run. Moreover, due to its prolonged longevity, it attracts a higher resale value in the used market.
Cons of Diesel Cars
- Diesel-powered cars are more expensive than petrol ones.
- The maintenance cost is also high for these cars. Besides, the spare parts of diesel cars are also expensive.
- The diesel engine generates less power than petrol, and it also poses difficulty starting the engine in extreme cold weather conditions.
- The diesel has a high level of NVH (Noise, Level and Harshness).