An old chestnut but with real data this time

[eccleshill]

I have to make a confession! When it comes to measuring fuel consumption I am something of an obsessive geek!

So for the last 20yrs or so I have recorded every drop of fuel I have used and the mileage. At some point I decided I would see if there was any difference between brands so I started recording that as well. As a result I have a pretty comprehensive set of data comparing standard diesel with premium diesel.

Hopefully, if I have done it right, you will be able to see in the attached pdf file, the data for 3 years of fuel for 36,000 miles in a 2006 Octavia 1.9TDi (105bhp PD).

Most times I would try to use the same type of fuel for 3 or more tanksful on the run to avoid the mixing issue but as you can imagine this wasn't always possible.

Conclusion - apart from BP Ultimate I would say there is no significant difference between 'em! And even then I'm not sure it's worth the extra from the point of view of fuel consumption. Shell V-power gave worse fuel consumption than standard Shell. As a result of this data I stopped using premium diesel around 8 months ago.

TDi Fuel Consumption.pdf

[silver1011]

Doesn't surprise me at all.

Supermarket fuel all the way for me, I don't like paying through the nose for a brand / badge... the main reason I drive a Skoda instead of a VW!

Useful info eccleshill

[PhilP1903]

Nice to see actual evidence of fuel consumption by brand and your conclusions seem pretty conclusive. The only other argument i have seen is that people reckon that lower grade diesels leave more "sticky" deposits and premium diesels give superior performance. Do you have any comments with regards to this.

[eccleshill]

Nice to see actual evidence of fuel consumption by brand and your conclusions seem pretty conclusive. The only other argument i have seen is that people reckon that lower grade diesels leave more "sticky" deposits and premium diesels give superior performance. Do you have any comments with regards to this.

Better performance? Nothing noticeable but it was only a 105BHP PD. It was no quieter, no smoother than normal - if it was a blind test I wouldn't have been able to tell.

Sticky deposits? Only ones I am aware of were from my 3yr old grandaughter on the back seat!

[BOBW]

I have to make a confession! When it comes to measuring fuel consumption I am something of an obsessive geek!

So for the last 20yrs or so I have recorded every drop of fuel I have used and the mileage. At some point I decided I would see if there was any difference between brands so I started recording that as well. As a result I have a pretty comprehensive set of data comparing standard diesel with premium diesel.

Hopefully, if I have done it right, you will be able to see in the attached pdf file, the data for 3 years of fuel for 36,000 miles in a 2006 Octavia 1.9TDi (105bhp PD).

Most times I would try to use the same type of fuel for 3 or more tanksful on the run to avoid the mixing issue but as you can imagine this wasn't always possible.

Conclusion - apart from BP Ultimate I would say there is no significant difference between 'em! And even then I'm not sure it's worth the extra from the point of view of fuel consumption. Shell V-power gave worse fuel consumption than standard Shell. As a result of this data I stopped using premium diesel around 8 months ago.

TDi Fuel Consumption.pdf

[BOBW]

Very initeresting, I have always suspected so, are you doing the same tests with the 1.8TSI ? .I have the Scout 1.8 TSI, and have been checking my MPG over a 6 month period, works out about 37.8 MPG.I had a Nissan XTRAIL 2.1 DCI and it was much the same MPG ,so I am very happy with the SCOUT which is much quieter, and more of a joy to drive.

[Phil_P]

Thanks for sharing

Nice to see you're getting around the same real world performance from your 1.9TDI as me - all these folks claiming 55-60 mpg is a little disconcerting at times.

Here's the thing about supermarket fuel - they buy it from where ever it's cheapest. I work at a refinery, and there's another refinery just down the road. We see supermarket tankers going in and out all day long, all buying the same fuel. So when you buy Asda or Tesco or whichever supermarket fuel you could be buying Texaco or Total or Murco or whichever - it's all the same stuff and as a minimum meets the British standard regulations for fuel sold in this country. In fact, one week it's probably one and the next week/month it's likely to be something else, so it makes it near impossible to compare Tesco to Asda or even Tesco to Tesco from one week to the next.

[gadgetman]

Nice results.

Quite a few say v power gives worse mpg.