Diesel vehicle research reveals TCO savings

June 30, 2013 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Compared to gasoline vehicles, diesel vehicles save between $2,000 and $6,000 in total cost of ownership (TCO) over a three- to five-year period, according to research by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Matti Blume

The savings estimates for three and five years of ownership vary from a low of $67 in three years to a high of $15,619 in five years, but most of the savings are in the $2,000 to $6,000 range, which includes the extra cost usually added to the diesel version, according to the research, which was conducted for automotive technology and services provider Robert Bosch LLC.

The research found that in three years, diesel vehicles in the mass market passenger car segment are estimated to save owners significant money, with the VW Jetta owner saving $3,128, the VW Jetta Sportwagen owner saving $3,389, and the VW Golf owner saving $5,013. Further, all of the diesel vehicles had better mileage than the gasoline versions with the diesels having between 8 to 44 percent higher miles per gallon. In addition, all of the diesel vehicles had lower fuel costs than the gas versions of comparable vehicles, with 11 of the 12 vehicles showing double digit reductions in fuel costs, ranging from 10 to 29 percent.

"These new findings that clean diesel vehicles are a more cost-effective investment for car owners reinforces what auto analysts and other comparative studies have determined in recent years," said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. "The significant savings diesel owners experience compared to gas car owners highlights another major reason why clean diesel vehicles sales will increase significantly throughout the U.S. in the coming years."

For more:
- see this report

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/diesel-vehicle-research-reveals-tco-savings/2013-06-30