Fleet and individual requirements need to be taken into account to ensure an organisation uses the best fuel for its vehicles, says Airmax Remote.

The telematics company analysed data relating to the performance of diesel, petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains used by three executive saloon cars over three different distances – 200 miles, 20 miles and three miles - in September, to determine which fuel provides the best economy in those circumstances (see table below).

The research found that the shorter the journey, the greater the efficiency PHEVs achieved, overtaking petrol and closing the gap on diesel in terms of pure average mpg.

However, over longer distances, diesel still presents the more cost-effective fuel choice.

Dan Faulkner, head of sales at Airmax Remote, said: “Our findings help support the idea that fleet choice and policy should be flexible around the needs and profile of the fleet and even individuals within a fleet rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

“Fuel costs are a large portion of a fleet’s spend, and we know fleet providers and fleet managers are constantly looking at ways to reduce or manage this spend.

“Having the availability of accurate data is key to making informed choices.”

 

Fuel type	Distance	Ave MPG	MPG range
PHEV	200 miles	45.9	34.1 – 60.4
Petrol	200 miles	61	56 - 72
Diesel	200 miles	61.7	46 - 110
PHEV	20 miles	37.6	18.2 – 50.9
Petrol	20 miles	36.9	24.1 – 56.3
Diesel	20 miles	44.1	14,7 – 75.1
PHEV	3 miles	24.5	9.8 – 82.8
Petrol	3 miles	24.3	4.8 – 50.5
Diesel	3 miles	29.2	4.1 – 67.6