Petrol, Diesel, CNG or Electric…how to choose the best car?
[ad_1]
One of the basic confusions while buying a car is the fuel options available in the market. Petrol, Diesel, CNG or Electric to choose between. While the choice of model, color and variant might not put you in a dilemma, the choice of fuel might put your mind in a quandary. This decision will not only impact the retail price but will also impact your daily operating cost in terms of refueling/refueling the car. In fact, it is a complicated decision. With the expectation of electric vehicles, the popular rides available in the Indian market are still petrol, diesel and CNG.
Big difference in the price of the same variant
The prices of the same variant of the car can vary greatly depending on the fuel it runs on. The petrol variant of a vehicle is the cheapest while the diesel model is the one which costs the most. The CNG variant, on the other hand, is in between the petrol and the diesel and is priced closer to the petrol variant than the diesel. For example, take the Maruti Suzuki WagonR, which is one of the best selling hatchbacks in India. The base petrol variant WagonR LXI is priced at Rs 4.34 lakh, while the corresponding CNG variant costs Rs 4.99 lakh, thus a price difference of Rs 65,000.
Petrol or diesel engine?
However, when it comes to the difference between the prices of the petrol and diesel variants, the contrast is more pronounced. The petrol VXI and diesel VDI variants of the Maruti Suzuki Swift are priced at Rs 6.14 lakh and Rs 7.03 lakh respectively, ie a difference of Rs 90,000. The price disparity widens further when we consider the higher range vehicles. For example, the price difference between the petrol and diesel variants of the Toyota Innova Crysta is around Rs 1.5 lakh, which is huge.
Limited availability of CNG
Petrol cars cost the least and keeping other things constant, you should go for the petrol variant if you are tight on money or planning to finance the car. The CNG option is also not bad and as we have seen above, the difference is not huge and will not put much strain on your finances. However, buying a diesel will definitely put a strain on your pocket and if you are planning to avail the loan facility, then the diesel model should be the last fuel-option on your list of priorities. That said, these are just based on the retail price of the car and in the next section, we explain how these dynamics can change when we introduce daily travel distance and fuel-efficiency concepts into the picture.
Select car according to daily riding
Now try to focus on your daily riding need. A general rule says that if you travel less than 70 km per day and the monthly travel is less than 2500 km, then you should go for a petrol vehicle. However, if your daily travel requirement is more than 70 kms but less than 100 kms, then CNG would be the right choice for you. A person traveling more than 100 kms per day and a person traveling more than 3000 kms monthly should consider buying a diesel car as the difference of Rs 5/litre in the price of petrol and diesel definitely helps diesel car owners save a lot on fuel cost.
short supply of cng
The CNG variant is also a good option, however, the short supply of CNG and its availability only at selected fuel stations is a major cause of concern for the buyers. In metropolitan cities, the availability of CNG may not be a major issue, but when it comes to demand for CNG cars in smaller cities and towns, it is surely a hindering factor. Also, the CNG cylinder eats up most of the space in the boot which might dissuade many buyers from buying the car.
The demand for electric cars increased gradually.
The demand for electric cars is increasing gradually in India and many more cars will be launched here in the coming times. Today, affordable electric cars are available here for up to Rs 8.69 lakh, while luxury electric cars are also available for Rs 2.5 crore. There are around 30 electric cars available for sale in the country and many more such cars will be launched here by the end of 2025. While some of these will be brand new electric cars, some will be based on their ICE versions like the Tata Nexon, Tigor and Tiago.
[ad_2]
Source link
