8 Things You Didn't Know about Diesel Cars

While hybrid and electric vehicles may be all the rage, there is another option when it comes to fuel-efficient cars. A new study by Carnegie Mellon University confirmed that, even with the initial cost associated with buying diesel cars, they are a better value compared to vehicles with gasoline engines.

The study by CMU’s Tepper School of Business (and underwritten by Bosch Diesel Systems) proved that diesel vehicles have up to a 30 percent higher fuel efficiency and resale value compared to traditional port-fuel injection (PFI) gasoline-powered cars. 

In addition, the researchers also discovered that the price difference between a clean diesel car and a traditional PFI gasoline-powered car could be recovered in as little as 18 months of driving. 

This study provides more of a “robust set of data to support the conclusion that clean diesel vehicles provide a comparatively lower cost of ownership,” commented Lars Ullrich, director of marketing for Bosch Diesel Systems.

Additional findings from the study conclude that:

• For passenger cars, Volkswagen clean diesel technology vehicles and the Toyota Prius retain a greater percentage of their initial purchase price than gas vehicles.
• For trucks, ones with diesel engines retain a higher percentage of their initial purchase price than the gasoline options, with the exception of the Ford F-250 truck.

About the Study
The CMU study used auction data from Manheim Auctions, a wholesale vehicle operator, and a leading media enterprise to evaluate the actual resale values of diesel and gasoline vehicles. This makes the study very unique, as past research only highlighted projected cost from resale values.