Why is diesel more expensive than unleaded?

Answer 1

The government duty is based on the amount of carbon in the fuel.
The average molecule in diesel contains more carbon atoms than the average molecule in petrol, so burning a litre of diesel releases more carbon dioxide into the air than burning a litre of petrol.
Therefore the Government charges a higher rate of road fuel duty on diesel.

However, because a diesel engine is more efficient, a diesel car will generally emit less carbon dioxide per kilometre travelled than an equivalent petrol car.

Answer 2

The duty on diesel is the same as petrol 48.35 pence on every litre. The cost of refining the product is marginally more expensive than petrol approx 1 pence per litre. There are now far more diesel than petrol cars on the road and with the all the other diesels eg Hgvs, buses and vans the usage is much higher about a 30/70 split. As usual the larger the demand the higher the price or profit companies try to make.

Answer 3

The government have raised the prices of diesel because they want people to switch to unleaded, since it is better for the environment. But before all of this global warming fuss unleaded was once dearer than diesel

Answer 4

Years ago it used to be much cheaper than petrol !
Being mainly used by commercial and agricultural vehicles !
But, as the diesel engine became more and more developed and used in private motor vehicles, it`s popularity began to increase, and consequently the government saw this as another form of revenue and upped the taxation on it.

Red diesel used purely for agricultural use and in the building industry has a much lower tax levy on it and is almost half price to what you pay at retail pumps !

Answer 5

Diesel is more economical than unleaded petrol so they charge more for it because people don't use as much of it.

Answer 6

I donrt really know. Given that diesel is a by-product of petroleum refining you'd think that it would be cheaper, but as others have said, the more popular it becomes the greater the charge

Answer 7

you can travel further on diesel than petrol, and so the goverment charge more tax to comensate. When they invent a car that is powered by water that will cost the same as well.

Answer 8

Diesel has become more expensive due to the emmisions form vehicles. Modern petrol engines produce far less harmful emmision's (better fro the enviroment) were as diesels (mainly hgv) produce far more harmfull emmisions (worse for enviroment). So prices have increased to try to get people to run clean petrols.

Answer 9

I certainly have been suggested that it is by using applying actuality there's a smaller refining potential for diesel yet for my area i've got have been given faith this is a self belief trick by using applying the gasoline vendors to augment earnings.

Answer 10

Actually, it is the same as a plus unleaded.