Petrol versus diesel – which is cheaper?

March 11th, 2010
Working out whether a diesel- or a petrol-powered car will be cheaper to run over three years is a complicated business.

To ensure you're making the most cost-effective decision you have to consider the higher purchase cost as well as resale values, fuel bills, servicing and insurance bills.

Let the facts do the talking
To help make the job a little easier, we've developed a tool to do the sums for you.

Fill in the boxes and the calculator will tell you the most cost-effective option based on your individual circumstances.



Download your petrol vs diesel calculator


Download the petrol vs diesel calculator (pc version)

Download the petrol vs diesel calculator (Mac version)

Don't forget you can find all of the data you need by looking at the reviews of the cars you're considering.

Compare the cars
You can even run a comparison of two cars such as this.


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Buy now to beat new ’showroom’ tax

March 11th, 2010
Save cash by purchasing your new car now, and beat the 'showroom' tax that's coming next month.

From April 1, the new tax could add an extra £515 to your road tax bill. So, if you act quickly and buy a new car from stock you could get your vehicle before the 'showroom' tax is launched.

What is the so-called 'showroom' tax?
The new tax is a one-off first-year payment on top of the usual vehicle excise duty rate. The payment is based on your new car's CO2 emission and will add between £70 and £515 to your first road tax bill.

The table below shows how the additional charges will be charged.

Who will pay it?
The new tax will be payable on all cars registered from April 1.


'Showroom' tax rates


VED Rates in 2010-11
Band A (up to 100g/km CO2) no fee
Band B (101-110g/km CO2) £20
Band C (111-120g/km CO2) £30
Band D (121-130g/km CO2) £90
Band E (131-140g/km CO2) £110
Band F (141- 150g/km CO2) £125
Band G (151 to 165g/km CO2) £155
Band H (166 to 175g/km CO2) £180
Band I (176 to 185g/km CO2) £200
Band J (186 to 200g/km CO2) £235
Band K (201 to 225g/km CO2) £245
Band L (226 to 255g/km CO2) £425
Band M (Over 255g/km CO2) £435
+ First Year Rate
+ £0
+ £0
+ £0
+ £0
+ £0
+ £0
+ £0
+£70
+£100
+£190
+£305
+325
+£515
=Total First Year Cost
£0
£20
£30
£90
£110
£125
£155
£250
£300
£425
£550
£750
£950


Budget date announced
Gordon Brown has confirmed that the budget – in which future increases in VED and fuel tax could well be announced – will be on March 24.

Budget live on whatcar.com
We will be covering the budget live on whatcar.com, so remember to log on and give us your views as the news comes through.

Political commentators predict that the general election will be held on May 6. You can read about the transport manifestos of the four parties, and comment on them, by clicking here.

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Car Broker Motoring News

Audi R8 Spyder: belt up and mike up

March 11th, 2010
Audi's R8 Spyder will come with a world first for mobile phone users – Bluetooth microphones incorporated into the car's seatbelts.

The driver's and passenger's belt have three microphones, each smaller and flatter than shirt buttons, so that they don't interfere with the seatbelt mechanism.

Quality signal whatever the user's height
Audi says that when the seatbelt is worn one microphone is always located in the vicinity of the person's mouth, regardless of their height, so it gives the best possible speech reproduction even with the roof down.

Software analyses the quality of the signals from the mikes and forwards the best signal to the hands-free unit.

A fourth microphone, mounted on the windscreen frame, is used to make calls when the car is parked and the seatbelt is not on.

We've driven the R8 Spyder and our first impressions of the technology are good. What Car? road test editor Peter Tullin said: 'It's a very neat trick and it seems to work very well.'

Audi says there are no plans as yet for the technology to filter down into Audi's other drop tops, the Audi A5 Cabriolet, the Audi A3 Cabriolet and the Audi TT Roadster.

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Budget 2010 boost for car industry?

March 11th, 2010
Motor industry calls on the Chancellor to boost manufacturer - and consumer - confidence in his 2010 Budget.

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New roadworks regulations

March 11th, 2010
Roadworks to be carried out with more consideration and respect for the travelling public.

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