Low Emissions: Petrol or Diesel?

So you have decided that the time is right to take the plunge and buy a new car - you have given it a lot of consideration and for both financial and environmental reasons you have decided to go for a less polluting car - so Petrol or Diesel?

Petrol and Diesel engines have different effects on the environment. Engines powered by Diesel generally produce less CO2 than their Petrol counterparts, but do produce more local air pollutants.

So which one should you chose?

It really depends what sort of driving you do and where you do it - if most of the driving that you tend to do is long distance or motorway driving, then it is worth considering a Diesel car for fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions.

If however most of the driving that you do is in and around town where air quality is a much greater consideration, than it is highly likely that a petrol engine may be the best bet.