Gas or Diesel? The Perennial Question

Gas or Diesel? What's the right car for you?

Image via Flickr by JeepersMedia

If you’re in the market for a new truck, you likely need to decide whether you should gear your purchase toward gas or diesel. While many people might persuade you that one fuel type is better than another fuel type, consider your needs first. Before you make your final decision, think about the following points when deciding to go with gas or diesel for your truck purchase.

Fuel Economy

Drivers usually consider diesel as the superior choice for fuel economy. While diesel remains superior, gas has become an excellent alternative. Over the past few years, the fuel economy gap between gas and diesel has decreased with turbocharged gasoline engines and direct-injected engines.


While a market exists for truck drivers who prefer heavy noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) for the sound of the engine, many truck drivers want refinement. In most cases, gas engines are the best choice. However, new injection technology has improved diesel engines. This technology has made it difficult for drivers to distinguish the vehicle’s engine type even from the driver’s seat.

A truck driver can’t really go wrong by picking one fuel type over the other. The only instance when this choice is not the case is if a truck driver prefers the rough and harsh sound traditionally associated with a diesel engine. If desired, truck drivers can find trucks with diesel engines that produce NVH-heavy sounds. Otherwise, the difference is too insignificant to matter to most truck drivers.

Power and Torque

If you’re in the market for a truck, power and torque could be the most important factors to you. Diesel is the better option over gas overall. Gas is superior to diesel from a power standpoint, while diesel is superior to gas based on torque.

Indeed, the gap between the two fuel types based on torque is large, but the rift between these two types in terms of power is less significant. In other words, a diesel engine for a truck can be a way to enjoy the best of both fuel types with both power and torque.

Of course, those who value power more than torque may be better off with a truck with a gas engine. Once again, the decision should be based on your needs as a truck driver.


Gas and diesel are about equal to each other in cost. A truck with a diesel engine will cost more upfront but will allow the truck driver to enjoy savings over time on fuel cost. On the other hand, a truck with a gas engine will cost less upon the initial purchase, but the driver will have to front more cash to cover the cost of gas. As a result, in the long run, the cost of both fuel types roughly evens out.

Deciding between a gas and diesel engine for a new truck can be a difficult decision. As long as you consider the factors above, you can choose the option that best suits your needs as a truck driver.