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.

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.

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).