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If the deadline has been set and is not so far away with a Europe that tends to bring it even closer to five years, i.e. 2035 or 2040 depending on which one will be chosen in France, it does not signify the total disappearance of thermal engines, gasoline on your mind. It will simply no longer be possible to acquire them on the new market and despite ever more pronounced traffic restrictions on them, they will not be banned everywhere and will be massively represented on the second-hand market.
At this time, the technology electric will undoubtedly have evolved enough to correspond to broader uses but before arriving there, unleaded, which also benefits from developments improving its energy efficiency, still demonstrates unparalleled versatility. So much so that you’re never really wrong when choosing it, although some uses are more optimized with other energies. And then there are also other types of uses for which gasoline retains the advantage. Here they are.
Very low mileage
Who says low mileage, often says city traffic. In this area, the electric would have some arguments to make. But even the smallest battery-powered models are expensive, more than their unleaded fuel equivalents. A price difference that pays for itself with use, thanks to inexpensive refills. To successfully amortize this investment, a certain number of kilometers is necessary that the smallest riders will probably never reach.
Not to mention that an electric vehicle, even a small one, imposes charging equipment at home, distancing the hope of profitability. The gain on maintenance is also insignificant, due to the lightness of thermal models aimed at this use and the little wear and tear that this entails on consumables, especially since the mileage is low.
Only the Dacia Spring Electric represents a rapidly profitable solution in this case, but only thanks to current government aid. Its “low-cost” treatment and its lack of ease on expressways also limit its performance once morest competing petrol cars that are less restrictive when needed.
The second vehicle capable of going far
When you have more than one vehicle, the second covers fewer kilometers and is generally more compact. Sometimes rather used in town, sometimes just as much used on larger axes, it might once once more be chosen as well running on gasoline as 100% electric. But if it must also be able to ensure longer motorway journeys, the thermal makes the difference by its ease of use.
If these trips on the motorways are not too numerous and the rest of the time, you mainly drive in town, a non-rechargeable hybrid solution, called “full hybrid”, might also be suitable for you.
The main vehicle for moderate mileage without constraints
The main vehicle will surely be required to use the motorway more regularly while having to travel on all types of roads, in town as well as in peri-urban areas. This mix makes unleaded interesting. Models produced since January 1, 2011 equipped with a petrol engine benefit from the “Crit’Air 1” sticker, for more permanent access to “Low Emission Zones” (ZFE).
And at the same time, trips on expressways can be done over very long distances, loaded with luggage with all the occupants on board, without reducing your speed by 20 km/h below the authorized limit in order to optimize autonomy, all without multiplying the prolonged breaks due to refueling. Traveling more than 800 km does not pose any particular difficulty.
The annual mileage, all trips combined, should not however exceed 20,000 km, making diesel potentially more economically attractive beyond that. Unless regular traffic in the ZFE obviously requires you to keep a petrol vehicle. In this case, Mazda’s “Skyactiv-X” gasoline engine, which operates similar to a diesel block, can help you reduce consumption and offer you a good compromise for your use.
The passion vehicle
There’s no one way to have fun behind the wheel. On the other hand, for the search for mechanical sensations, we do not do better than gasoline. The majority of athletes choose gasoline instead of diesel because unleaded rotating blocks, with the same or even less displacement, develop more power for less weight, which is one of the key elements of efficiency. Not to mention a more flattering sound than diesel engines.
A point that sins on the side of electric cars. The latter, as effective and efficient as they are among the sportiest, sometimes lack atmosphere. An atmosphere that we are looking for in a marked way to accompany a winding route or a lap on a circuit, or else more moderate, in a coupe of grand tourism for example.
The control of a gearbox, especially if it is manual and associated with a clutch pedal, helps to become “one” with the machine. A privilege reserved for thermals. Some old models converted to electric, according to the “retrofit” principle, still have a mechanical gearshift lever. However, these return almost no friction sensations at the level of the pedal and the different ratios only serve to limit the acceleration force more or less (and to improve energy efficiency depending on the speed), each of which can be used to launch the vehicle, from the first to the last.
Automotive passion is not just regarding performance and on this point, the petrol engine offers the most complete experience. The most difficult thing is to find a passion vehicle that is not too handicapped by taxes on CO2 emissions, something still possible on small models or those with moderate power. For the others, who are not necessarily those who travel the most kilometers when it comes to sports cars, these taxes can reach several tens of thousands of euros, already sounding almost like a ban…
In short
Are you planning to change your vehicle in the course of this year 2022 but you have not yet decided between petrol, diesel, hybrid or even electric or ethanol? Discover in this article four reasons to choose a gasoline car.
