i30 Owners Club

GENERAL STUFF => GENERAL DISCUSSIONS => Random Chit Chat => Topic started by: stkman on September 10, 2010, 21:22:34

Title: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: stkman on September 10, 2010, 21:22:34
Was helping a friend look for a suitable car and made up a spreadsheet which will calculate fuel and tax costs for different vehicles. For the Petrol vehicles I looked a fuel cost plus vehicle licensing per year and for the Diesel vehicles I looked at fuel cost, road user charges (a tax), plus vehicle licensing.

In NZ, diesel is currently $1.19/L while 91 petrol is $1.74/L (96, 98 and 105 octane are much higher but not needed in most of todays cars). Vehicle licensing is $421.81 for petrol vehicles and $548.85 for a diesel vehicle around the i30 size. Road user charges for a diesel vehicle up to 2 tonne is weight are currently $39.68 per 1000km (due to go up to $44.31 in October 2010).

Adding it all up, the diesel i30 manual is $4373.25 for 40,000 km per year (up to $4558.45 in October) while the 1.6 petrol manual is $4945.81. The 2.0 petrol is only available in auto and would be $5711.41 per year ( for 40,000km).

So nobody would really buy a diesel for the savings as they are not that great! Not for cars under 2 litres.

Biggest problem is the archaic road user charges where a fuel efficient diesel car pays the same tax as a 2 tonne, soot belching, 35 year old flatdeck which would use diesel at a staggering rate.

In NZ, there are only two models of i30s ... an entry level model which is essentially the Australian "SLX" and the "Elite" model which is the Australian "SR". Petrol manual is the entry level only and diesel manual is the "Elite" level only (2.0 petrol only "Elite" auto).

I am still very happy I chose the 1.6 cRDi manual as it is great to drive and I just like diesels. Have had them for over 20 years although there used to be a significant saving in running one. The current government has altered the tax so that there isn't the same benefit. Lower fuel usage to produce lower CO2 emmisions don't appear to factor in their thinking in promoting these vehicles. In fact, when the cost of petrol went over $2 a litre and the sale of Falcons and Commodores fell right off with an increase in the sale of small cars, the goverment mentioned taxing small vehicles at a higher rate to make up 'lost' taxes!!!!

I would say servicing costs are very similar as I will do all my own basic servicing when out of the warranty period. In fact, the 1.6 petrol may be a little more expensive at the mileage I do as to change a cambelt in NZ is between $600-800! Something I don't have to worry about with the 1.6 diesel.

Andrew 
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: Dazzler on September 10, 2010, 22:11:34
Great posting Andrew (very interesting)

Things are very different over here (It varies a bit state to state)

In Tassie Yearly vehicle registration for an i30 size car is the same for a petrol or a diesel (about A$530) and no road user tax (or any road tolls for that matter - unlike in some of the mainland cities)

Unfortunately Diesel and 91 unleaded are around the same price most of the time..

It looks like there is more benefit to having a diesel in OZ than in NZ but you will still mainly choose the diesel for the driving experience more than the financial gains.

The resale on the diesel is so good over here that you appear to recover about half the extra paid for that model when you sell or trade after a couple of years (as I recently found out)
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: stkman on September 10, 2010, 22:38:24
Resale is very good on the diesel here as well.

Two friends here have bought an i30 based on a drive of mine  :) One was moving down from a large Commodore when the lease ran out and wanted something smaller for just the two of them. A drive in mine was the clincher ... it's that diesel torque that did it!

Hyundai NZ and the Automobile Association here are both pressing for a change from the road user charges system for diesels ... or at least realligning the price of diesel so it matches petrol and drop the road user charges for 'light' vehicles. As I say, I am very happy with the diesel i30 and it is a tiny bit cheaper than the petrol version but having to 'buy' road tax on a regular basis is a nuisance. We buy it in 1000km increments ... my last purchase was 40,000km worth bought 2 days before the price went up. I wonder if I next buy 100,000km worth they would complain  :rolleyes:

Another difference in NZ compared to Australia (as per Hyundai Australia website) ... we have a choice of 10 colours. Ember red, Indigo blue and Mocha brown are not shown in the Australian i30 brochure. The Mocha brown is an exceptionally awful colour for a car in my opinion!

Andrew
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: Sleddog on September 10, 2010, 23:27:20
Been wanting to ask a few diesel V petrol questions.

After doing the research here ,the price of diesel was around $1.60 a few years ago from some posts I've read ,now its $1.30 and petrol is about $1.20 {10E} ...Do you guys think the price of diesel will rise again and be 30.c to 40cents more expensive ?
If so then the money gains over the diesel v petrol ,might sway me to the petrol.

I don't think about resale as it will stay in the family.
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: Dazzler on September 11, 2010, 00:15:00
Been wanting to ask a few diesel V petrol questions.

After doing the research here ,the price of diesel was around $1.60 a few years ago from some posts I've read ,now its $1.30 and petrol is about $1.20 {10E} ...Do you guys think the price of diesel will rise again and be 30.c to 40cents more expensive ?
If so then the money gains over the diesel v petrol ,might sway me to the petrol.

I don't think about resale as it will stay in the family.

I doubt that the diesel price will sky rocket again in the near future but nobody knows for sure (last time was partly blamed on a boom in China and other places which saw the demand for diesel jump significantly - THE GFC put paid to that)

When it happened last time most of the Diesel owners mumbled a bit (and a very few regreted their choice) but the vast majority still reckoned the drivability made it worth the extra... :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: agentr31 on September 11, 2010, 10:06:08
bah all fuel will eventually rise...
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: Dazzler on September 11, 2010, 10:27:28
bah all fuel will eventually rise...

As long as Diesel doesn't go up more than unleaded for you guys and girls...

When it went up before I predicted (guessed) it would eventually realign with unleaded and fortunately it did  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: eye30 on September 11, 2010, 13:10:59

In NZ, diesel is currently $1.19/L while 91 petrol is $1.74/L

So nobody would really buy a diesel for the savings as they are not that great!

 

Personally looking at your figures I would say the 1.6 crdi is a better buy than the petrol.


So nobody would really buy a diesel for the savings as they are not that great!

I am still very happy I chose the 1.6 cRDi manual as it is great to drive and I just like diesels.

 :question:
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: stkman on September 12, 2010, 08:25:30
Diesel vehicles also pay a "road user charge" which adds around $40 tax to every 1000km. The final cost is quite similar to petrol vehicles that use the more expensive fuel but do not pay the added "road user charge" tax.

Andrew
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: eye30 on September 12, 2010, 13:33:55
Seems a complicated and not a very cost effective way to tax having to declare mileage.

Especially if you do less or more than predicted or is it "after" the event tax

Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: agentr31 on September 12, 2010, 13:59:04
disconnect the speedo cable/drive and use a GPS for speed LOL beat the system!
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: Lorian on September 12, 2010, 14:59:24
disconnect the speedo cable/drive and use a GPS for speed LOL beat the system!

I think you'd go to jail for that over here.
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: eye30 on September 12, 2010, 17:42:02
disconnect the speedo cable/drive and use a GPS for speed LOL beat the system!

I think you'd go to jail for that over here.

Correct

But so long as you have another means to show speed you are OK
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: stkman on September 12, 2010, 20:49:32
The "Road User Charge" system is really quite cumbersome. It applies to all diesel vehicles and petrol vehicles over 3500kg gross weight. Up to 3500kg mileage is as per the odometer, above that weight it is per a "hubodometer" is fitted to one of the wheels.

Yes it is an offence to tamper with mileage recording devices. I think disconnecting the speedometer in an i30 may not be as straightforward as unhooking a cable drive. Probably a speed sensor somewhere which if disconnected will cause other issues.

This 'tax' is paid ahead of usage (or should be!). Is simply another label on the windscreen stating road user charges have been paid from x to y distance. Purchased in multiples of 1000km ... some people buy 1000km at a time (~$40 = $10 admin fee) but I buy between 20-50,000km at a time so the admin fee is smaller in relation to the tax. Have had speedometer checked a few times at checkpoints - doesn't tell the officer if it is connected or not!

Mileage is also recorded at WOF (safety inspection) time and tied into to road user charge to make sure it is all up to date (all inspections recorded or a NZ wide database ... so if you fail inspection at one station and go to another, they know you have failed and why) I suspect if it's not, you would receive a warning and possibly a fine (which doesn't help those actually struggling to pay it).

Paying the tax on the fuel at the pump is a fairer system which cannot be avoided. Try convincing the government of that!

The problem is NZ has a very small population to support it's infrastructure. Sigh ...
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: Dazzler on September 12, 2010, 21:49:06
That road user charge system is crazy... So much simpler with our system where diesel and unleaded are about the same price... The administration and policing of the system would use up a sizeable % of the revenue (you would suspect...) It would have discouraged me getting a diesel if I lived over there (I like my life as simple as possible)

Rant over.. Nothing against you Andrew I can see you aren't a fan either..

 (Thanks again for the insight .. makes me appreciate how good we have it over here)

Hope you don't live in or near Christchurch.. Have friends in that area (not good  :'()

Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: stkman on September 12, 2010, 22:20:27
Agree with you totally Daryl, the administration on the Road User Charging system must be substantial. What gets me is the almost $10 charge if you 'buy more mileage' in person while the same charge is applied to online purchases. That is just wrong.

It would seem so simple to add the extra into the cost of the fuel but there must be other issues here that I don't know about. This tax also applies to heavy (>3500kg) petrol vehicles as theoretically their weight causes more damage to the roads. Strange system ... wonder if anywhere else in the world has anything quite as siily.

And yes, it has put a lot of people off owning a diesel vehicle. The fact that the diesel i30s are easily outselling the petrol models in NZ shows how much the buying public like them (hopefully they are not bought with the misconception that they are a lot cheaper to run as once the tax is added they are clearly not). Saying that, a friend has just ordered a 1.6 petrol manual i30 (manuals very rare, virtually none used or demo) and I do look forward to seeing how it compares to the diesel. I suspect different but also very good.

Am at the other end of the ciountry to Christchurch ... amazing no fatalities in the earthquake! May have been a different story if it was during a work day rather than in the early hours on a weekend. Have firends there ... water, power and phone almost all back on now :-)
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: Dazzler on September 12, 2010, 22:26:39
Seems like Government/emergency services handled the distaster quite well on this occassion..
Title: Re: Diesel vs Petrol running costs in NZ
Post by: stkman on September 13, 2010, 21:25:54
Seems like Government/emergency services handled the distaster quite well on this occassion..

A number has been set up so that businesses and individuals needing cleanup assistance can 'book' a cleanup crew comprised of some of the 2500 individuals in Christchurch who are required to do community service.

Quite a good use of that resource I think  :)
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