[Aditya]

Just about everyone knows the pros & cons of owning a petrol or a diesel car. However, the landscape is dramatically changing. Emission norms are being tightened and, in some cities, the validity of the registration of diesel cars is 50% shorter than that of petrol cars (Delhi-NCR).

As we know, BS6 emission norms are coming in 2020. When it comes to meeting BS6 norms, it is easier and cheaper to do it with petrol powerplants compared to diesel units. If you are planning to buy a diesel car, it's better to do so today, as after the introduction of BS6 engines, things are going to get more expensive. Many small diesel engines are on the way out too (including the ubiquitous 1.3L DDIS).

We have already seen that in 2019, petrol cars have been outselling their diesel siblings in all segments, except utility vehicles.

To make matters more difficult for diesel cars, in an attempt to curb rising pollution levels, the Supreme Court has banned 10+ year old diesel vehicles in Delhi-NCR. Meanwhile, petrol vehicles can live for another 5 years before their registrations are rendered invalid.

Diesels, in general, are getting a bad name. Certain companies have adopted measures to show lower emissions from their diesel engines compared to real world conditions. The story of Volkswagen's infamous dieselgate scandal is too well known to repeat. In other parts of the world, more car manufacturers are coming under the scanner for violations related to diesel emissions.

Despite these points, diesel engines still suit the usage patterns of many motorists in India.

So, would you buy a petrol or a diesel car today?

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene. Thanks for sharing!

In the kind of cars that I like (big sedans, 4x4s), I prefer the diesel motors. They're robust workhorses, more fuel-efficient, very torquey and offer a brilliant touring range. Voted for diesel. Am happy to own one of the best turbo-diesel + gearbox combinations on the planet.

That said, I love the high-revving 7,000 rpm petrols! My next car will most likely be a petrol. Petrol is best for small hatchbacks with low running, sports cars etc. Cars like these prove that no turbo-diesel can match the fun, manic, revv-happy nature of a petrol:

[reignofchaos]

Petrols hands down - specifically modern direct injection turbo petrols. They offer diesel like torque and a much higher rev-range while sounding really nice unlike a diesel.

Refinement too is way way better in a petrol than diesel. Plus these days, turbo lag is history in turbo petrols. Most are incredibly linear and offer a fuss free driving experience when paired with a fast AT Box.

Considering the fact that diesels are getting banned and such around the world, I do not see diesels making too many inroads into passenger cars in the near future.

[aniyo]

It's diesel for me. Having moved from NA petrol to Turbo Diesel the difference is very noticeable.
I agree with GTO above on the tank range, my Nexon diesel provides more than 750KM on a single tank on highways and about 450+ within city.
For the same situation the Brio offered about 300 in city and about 600KM on highway.

The best part is diesel is not sensitive to driving style. Even if we maintain 110-120 for a long time FE doesn't drop below 19-20 for highway drives. At similar speeds the petrol counterpart will go down to 15-16.

Also the torque helps big time on inclines and reduces gear changes in city.

[jetsetgo08]

Irrespective of BS-6 or BS-XX. I would stick to diesels till FE and fun to drive petrol engine are mates with each other.

[Eddy]

If there was no 10 year ban, I would have bought a diesel inspite of it losing it's price advantage to petrol.

However, a 10 year ban and uncertainty of the impact of BS6 fuel on a diesel engine means that I will buy a petrol as my next car.

[condor]

Voted Diesel, also because of my requirement of vehicle. There are no petrols in the pickup arena.

[harry10]

Voted for diesel.
A nearly 100 km running a day doesn't warrants a petrol. However, in future if the running gets slashed to say like 30-40 km a day then I can think of buying a petrol.

[lamborghini]

I've voted for petrol - 2 out of the last 3 cars we've purchased have been petrol sedans.

That being said, it is all dependent - the last three cars purchased were a fun sedan (turbo-petrol because I missed having a free-revving petrol motor), a practical sedan which is mainly used in the city (petrol corolla), and a SUV for outstation trips & running about (diesel - better range, more torque).

Next car is mostly going to be another petrol sedan, or a diesel SUV.

[swissknife]

Voted "others" considering LPG/CNG as well. Going forward, Diesel would be an option only for heavy duty / large SUVs / off roaders. For small and medium cars, it would be expensive both in terms of vechicle cost and maintenance.

[Turbohead]

It's 2019 and turbo petrols haven't penetrated as much I hoped for.

Currently for all budget cars upto 20 lakhs, diesels make far more sense. There's loads of torque and fuel efficiency is not affected much by driving habits. That, and the fact that smaller naturally aspirated engines are a pain to drive in bumper to bumper traffic tilt my favour for diesels

But there are some amazing engines like the VW's 1.2 TSI and Kia's 1.4 GDi which are very tempting and in fact make more sense than the diesels as they satisfy on the performance front and cost considerably less than the diesel ( atleast the Vento TSI vs TDI DSG). After all, differences between petrol and diesel prices are minimum today.

It totally depends on the car. And the engine. I'd still go with the most exciting engine out there irrespective of bureaucracy as there is assurance that we can use it for 10 years minimum

[Santoshbhat]

My first choice is usually petrol. Turbo petrols are fast, fun, refined and not that uneconomical either. The 1.8 TSI unit in my GTI is so good that I get really bored whenever I get my chance to drive my X3 30d in the city. The big 3.0 diesel is superb no doubt, but in the city it feels like any other decent motor. Whereas the turbo petrol feels special in each and every drive. Its just so sharp and lively from the get go. The diesel, on the other hand, comes into its own only at highway speeds and that's where that special feeling starts to come in. Mind you, the turbo petrol is no slouch on the highway and feels specials always, no matter what conditions you are driving in.

In our market big petrols are not offered as you move up the price range. In such a scenario I might pick the powerful diesel as against the regular petrol due to lack of options. But give me the option of a lusty 6 cylinder turbo charged petrol and I would surely dump the diesel.

[AYP]

With a few exceptions, all the cars in the C-2 segment and below generally have a diesel engine which not only is more economical than a petrol variant of the same car, but offers better outright performance as well. For these segments, my choice would be diesel.

The D segment is a mixed bag with a few good Turbo petrols, but it is still dominated by NA petrol engines which are much slower than the Turbo diesels. It is only after entering the luxury segment that you start getting competent turbo petrols which is most cases, often exceed their diesel counterparts in terms of performance.

I for one, would still choose a diesel, hoping that the 10 year registration rule for diesels isn't applied pan-India.

[Thermodynamics]

Voted for "others", honestly confused.

I wish not vote for Diesel because of pollution associated but I like SUVs and Diesels perform brilliant in that space. Petrols are smooth, relatively cleaner but when it comes to SUVs, only the rich can afford who wouldn't mind single digit FE.

India is still a poor country, "Kinta deti hai" attitude is very important to masses. So the pricing is very important. Over the years Government has brought down the difference. Some even say a rational pricing should be a function of calorific value of fuel and not demand/supply and that would mean Diesel should sell higher than Petrol.

All these are subjective and debatable. But my mind is really confused because I like petrols but they run expensive for heavy vehicles, I like Diesels but they are pollutive, I look forward for EVs like Kona which kind of balances the better of both worlds (less pollutive and torquey) but they are not ready today

[YashD]

Voted for diesel due to simple reasons, better fuel efficiency & turbocharged engines.
Hence, better performance. I would've loved the Turbo Petrols, but the options available in the market are extremely limited. Also, the poor resale of the same compared to their diesel counter part kills it.

In India, Diesel makes much more sense on a day to day basis in terms of expenses even if you're paying a higher maintenance cost though it's only justified if you have a high running.