What fuel type will work best for me?

When choosing your next lease vehicle, it is very important that you consider the different choices of fuel types which are available!

Below, we have detailed the different fuel types which are available on the market today in order to ensure that you are choosing the right vehicle for your car leasing needs.

Petrol engines

Petrol engines are the most popular choice when it comes to engine options as they are more often than not, cheaper to buy or lease than that of a diesel, electric or hybrid vehicle. Along with this, petrol is generally the cheapest option when it also comes to paying at the pump too. Petrol vehicles do tend to have higher CO2 emissions than diesel engines, however, with rules and regulations coming in which apply to the emission levels of new vehicles, many petrol engines are now being fitted with small electric motors in order to lower their emissions and help boost economy. 

Petrol engines are most liked by drivers who tend to do shorter journeys simply for the fuel economy which they produce when it comes to town or city driving over short distances.

Advantages of petrol engines:

•Caters more for short distance journeys and town/city drives 

•More often than not, petrol is the cheaper option when filling up 

•The fumes which are produced from petrol engines aren’t as harmful as other options 

•Maintaining costs of a petrol engine tend to be cheaper 

•Quieter on the roads 

•Smoother driving experience with less vibrations 

•Leasing a petrol powered vehicle is usually cheaper than if you were to lease other engine options

Disadvantages of petrol engines:

•High CO2 emissions 

•Not as fuel-efficient if being used for long-distance driving 

•Petrol engines don’t have as much torque as diesel resulting in being not as suitable for towing

Diesel Engines

Diesel engines are becoming less and less popular as many manufacturers are beginning to now phase these out from their line-ups due to the high emission levels which they produce. In the next few years, however, diesel is still likely to be a very popular choice with motorists due to how much more fuel-efficient they are on longer journeys & motorway driving along with drivers who regularly tow loads and people who drive off-road. 

Tougher guidelines set out by the government in the coming years is likely to rule out the use of older high emission diesel engines within city borders as these produce much more pollution than that of a brand new vehicle fitted with a diesel engine.

Advantages of diesel engines:

•Diesel engines are better for drives over longer distances and motorway driving as they offer better economy and a better drive 

•More adequate for towing loads as the diesel engine has more torque which allows for the vehicle to have more pulling power 

•Diesel engines produce less CO2 than traditional petrol engines

Disadvantages to diesel engines:

•Diesel fuel is more expensive 

•Diesel engines produce more toxic fumes 

•Maintaining a diesel engine is often, more expensive than that of a petrol engine 

•DPF (Diesel Particulate Filters) are expensive to fix and can get clogged very easily if not driven enough 

•Diesel engines are often more expensive than petrol engines which means a higher purchase or lease cost 

•Diesel engines are slightly noisier than a petrol engine and also produces more vibrations

Electric

Electric vehicles are an ever-growing sector to the motor industry and have gained lots of popularity within the last few years due to fully electric vehicles having no actual engine as it is powered purely by electricity and batteries. This, therefore, allows for zero emissions to be produced and is the most environmentally friendly engine type. Electric vehicles are also very cost-effective compared to the likes of traditional petrol or diesel engine as there aren’t any direct fuelling costs (if you charge from home). Even when charging elsewhere via an external charger, this is always often a lot cheaper than if you were to fuel up with petrol or diesel. 

Electric vehicles are constantly evolving too with more manufacturers introducing fully-electric vehicles to their line-ups along with the actual technology improving too.

Advantages to Electric vehicles:

•Electric vehicles produce no emissions and are much better for the environment when compared with petrol and diesel engines 

•Charging your electric vehicle is much cheaper than fuelling with petrol or diesel •Virtually silent driving 

•With most electric vehicles offering a maximum range between 100 – 200 miles, it suits most people’s needs 

•Very smooth driving & handling 

•Driving electric is ideal for people who travel short distances or travel within towns/cities 

•Charging stations are becoming more and more accessible 

•Electric vehicles are not required to pay road tax, fuel tax or congestions charges 

•Maintenance of an electric vehicle is often much cheaper than a regular engine is

Disadvantages to electric vehicles:

•They require frequent charging 

•Electric vehicles are much slower at re-charging than re-fuelling so pre-planning is essential 

•Not yet suitable for long-distance driving 

•Electric vehicles are much more expensive to purchase/lease than a traditional fuel engine 

•Hot or cold weather can impact the performance & range of your electric vehicle 

•Only certain dealerships/garages are able to carry out maintenance to electric vehicles

Hybrid vehicles

Hybrid vehicles combine normal petrol or diesel engine together with 1 or more electric motors which allow for very low emissions to be produced when driving. They produce electricity as they are driven through a couple of techniques, Regenerative braking & electric generator. 

Regenerative braking allows for braking power to be turned into energy which helps the performance of your vehicle. This energy would usually be wasted without the hybrid motor is in place. On the other hand, when having an electrical generator fitted on your traditional engine, this will run directly with the engine itself helping to lower emissions and give a better driving experience. 

At low speeds, hybrid engines will often use electric energy alone and when you begin to increase your speed the engine will kick in and take over. In certain situations such as driving up-hill or on rough roads the electric motor & engine will work together so extra power can be produced to give you that extra push which is required. 

With being a hybrid vehicle, it of course still has the normal petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor, however, this usually allows for MPG figures to be much more improved over a standard non-hybrid vehicle. This will then help to lower running costs.

Plug-in Hybrid

Between a plug-in hybrid and a normal hybrid, there are a number of differences to identify which is which. A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is essentially a motor vehicle that is required to be plugged into an electric charger/outlet in order to receive the benefits of its electric motor. On the other hand, a standard hybrid vehicle doesn’t require to be plugged in as it regains its charge as it is driven. A plug-in hybrid will generally have more electric range capacity than a standard hybrid vehicle as a plug-in is powered & charged directly from the mains. 

A key difference between the two which can also be noted is that plug-in hybrids will use electric power within most points of driving until you reach a certain speed, where the combustion engine will then kick in to provide extra power. With a standard hybrid vehicle, driving on pure electricity can only be used at low speeds. 

Below we have included a comparison of advantages & disadvantages between Plug-in Hybrids (PHEV) and standard hybrid vehicles.

Advantages:

•Emissions will always be a lot lower than traditional petrol or diesel engines meaning that they are much more beneficial towards the environment 

•PHEV & Hybrid vehicles are convenient for low mileage drivers or city driving 

•Outstanding fuel economy figures when compared to petrol or diesel engines 

•Standard hybrid vehicles charge themselves so you are just required to fill up with petrol/diesel just like any other vehicle! 

•Almost all hybrid/PHEV vehicles avoid congestion charges within cities 

•These types of vehicles produce very little noise for a quieter, more pleasant drive

Disadvantages:

•These types of vehicle are often much more expensive to lease due to their outright purchase price being higher 

•Due to their hybrid technology, they aren’t as suited to long-distance driving as a traditional fuel-powered engine 

•They can become less efficient at higher speeds 

•If damaged, repairs can often be costly 

•Currently, plug-in hybrids can take a lengthy amount of time to recharge 

•To link with the point above, although charging stations are becoming more available, they are still very few and far between when compared with fuel stations 

•Only registered garages can carry out work on PHEV’s/Hybrids due to their technology only being recently introduced

Please note, this information may have since changed and is for guide purposes only.