A new study was just released notes that 11 diesel-powered vehicles scored better than their gasoline-powered counterparts when it came to total average cost of ownership. The study also ranked diesel vehicles against each other by class (Passenger Cars; Utility Vehicles, Crossovers, and Vans; and Pickup Trucks) in the same total average cost of ownership comparison.
The study was carried out by Vincentric, a third-party data analysis company that measures and analyzes the overall cost of owning and operating vehicles and its impact on the value provided to buyers.
The Vincentric Diesel Analysis was performed in November of 2014 and based on a weighted average of fuel prices over the previous five months, to help ensure that the analysis reflected current market trends, not market extremes.
The report assumes that the vehicles were driven 15,000 miles annually, and that the vehicle was owned five years. The data in the analysis is for U.S. averages, but Vincentric stated that the same analysis can be done for any state. In most cases studied, the diesel vehicle had a higher market price than its gas alternative, which causes several cost factors to increase, including finance, opportunity costs, and fees and taxes.
The Diesel Analysis also shows that diesels typically have slightly higher insurance, repair, and maintenance costs as well. However, in most cases diesel-powered vehicles had lower fuel expenses than their all-gas counterpart due to their improved MPG. As well, diesel-powered vehicles had lower depreciation on a percentage basis, but due to their higher initial purchase price, their total depreciation costs are higher.
Unfortunately for diesel truck buyers, only one of the 11 that bettered their gasoline-powered counterparts was a truck, and it wasn’t even a pickup truck. It was the 2014 Ram ProMaster Diesel 1500 with a savings of $518 in total average ownership costs. The remaining 10 were all diesel-powered cars. As to how diesel pickup trucks ranked against each other, the Ram Diesel 2500 Tradesman Regular Cab had the lowest total average cost of ownership.
| Make | Model | Trim | Diesel Total Cost | Gas Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Silverado 2500 | W/T Reg Cab LWB | $52,242 | $48,070 |
| Chevrolet | Silverado 3500 | W/T Crew Cab SWB SRW | $60,897 | $54,553 |
| Ford | F-250 | XL Reg Cab | $56,189 | $52,428 |
| Ford | F-350 | XL Reg Cab SWR | $57,647 | $54,965 |
| GMC | Sierra 2500 | W/T Reg Cab LWB | $56,256 | $53,001 |
| GMC | Sierra 3500 | W/T Crew Cab SWB SRW | $60,594 | $59,244 |
| Ram | 2500 | Tradesman Reg Cab | $51,371 | $49,137 |
| Ram | 3500 | Tradesman Reg Cab | $52,676 | $50,194 |
However, there was essentially a three-way tie between the Chevy Silverado 2500 Diesel Work Truck Regular Cab LWB, Ford F-250 Diesel XL Regular Cab, and the GMC Sierra 2500 Diesel Work Truck Regular Cab LWB pickup trucks for the lowest total average fuel cost. For all the details about the Vincentric Diesel Analysis, check out the company’s website.
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