Diesel has always been a popular choice in the country. For several years, the Indian car market was one of the largest diesel vehicle markets in the world. What are the reasons behind this popularity? It has to be the higher mileage and the diesel grunt. So what has changed? In the last few years, the share of diesel cars has shrunk below 20% and continues to shrink each year. So the question arises is diesel dying in India? In today’s article, let’s talk about buying a Diesel car in 2023.

Upcoming emission norms

Diesel car in 2023

Emission norms have gotten a lot stricter in the last few years. The government is tightening the laws concerning all types of fuels, but more so for diesel engines. The BS6 norms had a major impact on the discontinuation of many diesel engines, and now the upcoming BS6 Stage-2 norms are expected to shake up the diesel segment. With the BS6 stage-2 norms, even small cars will need to have DPF filters, which will bump up the cost of buying them big time. This is the reason why several manufacturers are discontinuing their small diesel engines. 

Diesel car in 2023 – Ban in Delhi

We all know about the high pollution levels in Delhi. So the government had to take several preventive measures. One such measure was to ban 10-year-old diesel cars in Delhi. The government keeps a strict vigilance that this rule is followed, and only BS6 cars are allowed to ply the roads. These stricter norms have forced people to avoid diesel cars in and around Delhi. Delhi was a huge market for new and used diesel cars but with this new rule which applies to the whole of the NCR region many are wary of getting a brand new diesel car. The trickle effect is that many in the second hand market are also avoiding them too. This buying mindset is also expanding beyond the borders of the NCR region where many in neighboring states like Punjab, UP and Rajasthan have made it a point to buy a petrol car if they can.

Better alternatives 

Diesel car in 2023

Diesel engines were known for their high torque figures and great mileage. Also, diesel as fuel had been cheaper than petrol. Both these things mean that diesel car were earlier looked at as cars with low running costs and reliable workhorses. However, in recent years the gap between the two fuel, petrol and diesel has shrunk. Also, the advancement in turbo petrol engines has attracted several diesel buyers towards them. What about mileage? For people looking for higher mileage figures, there are a few options with hybrid. Hybrid cars deliver mileage even better than diesel cars in city and highway usage combined. The other option for people with high running has become EVs. All these have contributed to diesel sales dropping in recent years. 

Diesel car in 2023 – Higher price

Diesel car in 2023

As mentioned above, other fuel types like petrol and CNG have gotten better at serving the customers need than diesel engines. Still, diesel engines continue to have that added premium. Due to this reason, people pick petrol for performance and CNG if they want mileage. With the upcoming stage 2 norms, this gap is only going to increase. Lastly, higher price of the fuel also does not help the case of the diesel buyer.

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