# More U.S. diesels = no imported oil needed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-u-s-diesels-no-imported-oil-needed/550450 "2010-08-16T20:32:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-u-s-diesels-no-imported-oil-needed/550450/21 "2010-08-18T11:35:13Z")
> [@Fridgemagnet](#): > > > [@Musicat](#): > > > > Can you imagine what this country would smell like if all cars were diesel? > > It would smell like London, which is mostly made from trucks and diesel taxis. PM10 pollution is a bit of an issue, and a good nose-blow at the end of a day in The Smoke is more akin to sweeping a chimney. > > Diesel cars are very popular in the UK, due to a combination of their better economy and high fuel prices. Not so long ago, before advanced diesel engines and turbochargers made diesel cars properly viable, diesel was about 2/3 the price of petrol/gas, and with the extra fuel economy of diesels the fuel savings were considerable. However, the open market reached a curious equilibrium last year. When petroleum is processed, the relative percentage of the various fractionates is more or less fixed, so there used to be a glut of diesel as the refineries couldn’t help but produce too much. However, now that diesel cars are very popular, it came about that the price of diesel fuel exceeded the price of petrol/gas, and for a short period there came about the ridiculous situation where diesel was so much more expensive that it was actually cheaper to run a petrol/gas car, even with the mpg differential. That’s settled down a bit now, and both fuel prices are currently on parity, give or take a few pennies. For dopers outside the US I will mention that in the states diesel typical costs about 20 to 30 cents more a gallon than regular gasoline. There was a short period where the price difference was much larger but AFAIK it has stayed pretty constant. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-u-s-diesels-no-imported-oil-needed/550450/22 "2010-08-18T13:45:22Z")
> [@](#): > > For dopers outside the US I will mention that in the states diesel typical costs about 20 to 30 cents more a gallon than regular gasoline. There was a short period where the price difference was much larger but AFAIK it has stayed pretty constant. It varies, but I would say that I’ve seen most places selling it for about the price of midgrade. I’ve also been figuring it as about equivalent to gas at 3/4 of the price because of the better mileage (which may be conservative). $3.20 diesel is like $2.40 gas. A bonus is the extended range. The gas and diesel versions of the same car will use the same fuel tank, sized to have adequate range for gas. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-u-s-diesels-no-imported-oil-needed/550450/23 "2010-08-18T15:11:39Z")
Don’t diesel engines also have the advantage of being much longer-lived than gasoline engines? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-u-s-diesels-no-imported-oil-needed/550450/24 "2010-08-18T16:34:39Z")
Yes, they are supposedly longer-lived. A downside is crappy cold weather starting characteristics, and the mileage advantage isn’t there until the thing warms up. Mine has glow plugs, and an idiot light on the dash to indicate they’re warming up. You’re supposed to turn on the ignition and wait for it to go out before starting the car. It goes out almost immediately anyway. Oh, and another current advantage in the US is a $1300 tax credit, which offsets much of the extra price for the diesel version. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-u-s-diesels-no-imported-oil-needed/550450.md?page=1)