Used diesel cars for sale

Who are diesel cars suitable for?

Diesel engines are known for their better fuel efficiency compared with petrol cars, making them ideal for those spending a lot of time on the motorway, like commuters and business travellers.

The higher energy density of diesel fuel means you’ll likely be able to go further between refuelling stops.

These engines also have more torque than petrol engines, making them better suited to towing trailers, caravans, boats and more.

This is also why diesel engines are used in commercial vehicles, like pick-ups, vans and lorries – if you need to carry a lot of weight, a diesel engine will be both more adept and more economical.

When paired with four-wheel drive, diesel engines also perform well off-road and in slippery conditions, but there’s no shortage of petrol 4x4 cars if you want to consider other fuel options.

Are diesel cars fuel-efficient?

Some of the most efficient engines are diesel engines, and it’s not uncommon to find manufacturers quoting 60mpg or more from some cars.

They produce more torque at lower engine speeds, so you don’t need to rev as much to build speed. By changing gear sooner, you can save fuel.

On a long run, a diesel engine will almost always be more economical than a similarly sized petrol engine, but that difference is less around town and in stop-start conditions, where you might want to consider a hybrid.

It’s worth noting that diesel cars can produce fewer CO2 emissions than their petrol counterparts, making them cheaper to tax, but they produce more nitrogen oxides, which is harmful to the environment.

Are diesel cars reliable?

Diesel engines are built to withstand higher levels of stress compared with petrol engines, which means their lifespan typically exceeds 200,000 miles with proper servicing and maintenance.

When buying used diesel cars for sale, you can typically be less strict about any mileage limit you may have set for two reasons.

Firstly, it should last longer than a petrol engine, and secondly, because the previous owner probably drove a lot of low-stress motorway miles, which is better for the engine’s health than short distances.

The latter is only an assumption based on the fact that diesel cars cost more than petrol models, so drivers tend to make the proactive decision to spend more on their motor to save money in the long run.

What types of diesel cars are there?

Not too long ago, some manufacturers built three-cylinder diesel engines, but these aren’t so popular now. You can still find some on cinch, like VW diesel cars with 1.2- and 1.4-litre three-cylinder diesel engines – take the fifth-generation Polo, for example.

The best balance of performance and efficiency comes from four-cylinder engines, typically around 1.6 to 2.0 litres in size. Ford diesel cars tend to be punchy given their impressive mpg figures – a Ford Focus with the 2.0 EcoBlue engine has a claimed figure of 61mpg.

Six-cylinder diesel engines come closer to offering the acceleration typical of petrol engines, but they can still do 40-50mpg in many circumstances. We like the smooth BMW diesel engines in this category – something like a 3 Series M340d.

Some bigger diesel engines have been available over the years, including a 4.0-litre V8 in the Audi SQ7, a 5.0-litre V10 in the Volkswagen Touareg and a 6.0-litre V12 in the first-generation Audi Q7, but these are pretty rare.

Clean air zones

Clean air zones were introduced to help reduce harmful emissions in many towns and cities across the UK, with a specific focus on diesel cars that emit more nitrogen oxides than petrol vehicles.

Owners of diesel cars need to make sure their vehicles comply with Euro 6 regulations to enter spaces like the ULEZ in London.

Euro 6 standards were introduced in 2015, and a further Euro 6c standard was introduced in 2017 when cars transitioned from NEDC testing to WLTP, designed to reflect real-world conditions.

An even more accurate Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test was also introduced, and cars tested under this comply with Euro 6d and Euro 6d-TEMP.

Bear this in mind if you’re hunting for cars elsewhere, but thankfully, all cars sold on cinch are Euro 6-compliant, so you won’t need to worry about current clean air zone restrictions.