I'm looking for a used car and I don't know whether to go for diesel or petrol. I do about 15,000 km a year, mostly city driving and some motorway trips. A friend tells me that diesels aren't worth it anymore because of taxes, but I still see plenty of offers at low prices.
With 15,000 km a year, you're in a bracket where diesel basically never makes sense, honestly. The advantage of diesel was always on long trips: better fuel consumption let you offset the higher purchase price over time. But if you're mostly driving in the city, you consume more with diesel because the engine never reaches optimal temperatures, and besides, car taxes have actually gone up quite a bit for diesel vehicles (especially older ones). Those cheap prices you see are precisely because fewer people want them, not because they're a bargain.
Petrol is the logical choice in your case. Purchase prices are lower to start with, fuel consumption isn't that bad if you get a reasonably efficient car, and most importantly the maintenance and tax costs are lower. Sure, you'll pay a bit more at the pump, but diesel won't make up for it. Another option, if you find one at a good price and the car isn't too old, is to consider a mild hybrid or full hybrid - there are decent used models out there at reasonable prices now, and for your driving pattern they'd be perfect.
The only scenario where a diesel might still make sense is if you were looking at used company cars that have done lots of motorway miles and are well-maintained, but that's an exception. In your specific case, petrol or hybrid. I wouldn't do anything else.
at 15,000 km a year mostly city driving, diesel will cost you more than what you save, considering that taxes and maintenance are basically on par with petrol now. go for a decent used petrol car and sleep soundly.
What nobody mentions is that with used diesels you often pay an inflated price because people still want them, but meanwhile maintenance costs have gone up a lot. A clogged particulate filter or a turbo problem costs you hundreds of euros, while with a decent petrol car you can relax more. With 15,000 km almost all in the city, diesel really sucks: you lose the advantage of cheaper fuel precisely because you can't get the engine properly warmed up, and meanwhile you're paying registration and insurance that are almost the same now anyway.
The real point is this: look at the cheap listings you see and you'll instantly understand why. They're old diesels nobody wants anymore, with who knows how many miles and maybe weird histories. If you go for a decent used petrol car instead, maybe one that's even a bit older but well-maintained, you spend less upfront and less afterwards. In the city petrol isn't the disaster it used to be, and for 15,000 km a year you don't waste that much.
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