June 28, 2013—Diesel vehicles have lower total ownership costs than traditional gasoline vehicles, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
The study, which analyzed the total cost of ownership (TCO) for clean diesel vehicles and compared their TCO to their gas vehicle counterparts, found that diesel vehicles saved owners between $2,000 and $6,000 in total ownership costs during a three to five year period.
The diesel vehicles also had between 8 to 44 percent higher miles per gallon than the gasoline versions of the vehicles.
Accoding to the study, the diesel vehicles had lower fuel costs than the gas version of comparable vehicles, with nearly all of the vehicles showing double-digit reductions in fuel costs.
The study also found that the majority of diesel vehicles held their value better than comparable gas vehicles. Over a three-year timeframe eight out of the 12 vehicles tested showed double digit percentage savings, while nine of the 12 diesel vehicles held their value better over the fire-year timeframe.
