LPG cars and price increases: is it still profitable in 2022?
LPG cars and price increases
The race in fuel prices does not stop and like petrol, diesel and methane, even LPG has recorded a price increase in recent days; fortunately, unlike methane, the variation was more contained but many are wondering whether buying or using an LPG car could still be convenient.The increase in fuel prices is linked to a series of unpleasant situations, a sort of “perfect storm”, which have been going on for several weeks; now, to worsen the situation, there is also the Russia-Ukraine conflict which has brought a wave of price increases across the board. A quick analysis in the Quotidiano Energia shows that the price of LPG has exceeded 0.84 euros per liter with peaks of 0.87 euros per liter. This is a decidedly high value (which is confirmed by our surveys using some apps) especially if we consider that in January 2021 the price of LPG was just € 0.632 per liter. Is using an LPG car still worthwhile?
Federicovecchio.com if (jQuery ("# crm_srl-th_motorlabs_d_mh2_1"). Is (": visible")) {console.log (" Edinet ADV adding zone: tag crm_srl-th_motorlabs_d_mh2_1 slot id: th_motorlabs_d_mh2 "); } Taking into consideration the values declared by the manufacturers (WLTP), the answer still leaves room for some hope. We can make the fastest and most immediate comparison with the Hyundai i10 available in bi-fuel (65 hp) and petrol (67 hp) versions; consumption, in the urban cycle, is respectively 7.6 l / 100 km and 4.9 l / 100 km. Although consumption for the LPG version is higher, the lower cost at the pump still makes the car more advantageous.
Another city car to consider is the Fiat Panda, available with both 69 horsepower bi-fuel (petrol and LPG) and 70 horsepower light hybrid (petrol) engines. In the combined test cycle, the LPG declination registers 7.2 l / 100 km, while the hybrid variant stops at 3.9 l / 100 km. In urban areas, on the other hand, they get 9.2 l / 100 km and 4.2 l / 100 km respectively.
Despite the higher consumption, at present with the prices of March 2022, the a model appears to be more advantageous LPG; to cover 100 km in a mixed cycle, 6 euros for LPG and over 7 euros for a hybrid car are required (considering only the petrol engine as a fueling method). The same goes for the urban context where the differences are even more narrow. Price-wise, Panda bi-fuel and Hybrid have a very close market value.
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This is probably the situation that comes closest to reality, in how much the absence of a hybrid system allows us to measure the mere consumption of the petrol part. On balance, to cover 100 km in an urban cycle, 6 euros are needed for LPG and almost double that for petrol (1.9 l / euro); difference that remains constant even in the mixed cycle. Also in this case, the difference in price in terms of equipment is really small (net of the fact that some accessories could still change).
And for crossovers? Here the options are numerous but for our theoretical comparison let's take into consideration the Renault Captur, which we tested in E-Tech Hybrid engine a few months ago. The 101 horsepower LPG version records 6 l / 100 km in the mixed cycle and 7.8 l / 100 km in the urban one; the 91 horsepower petrol engine requires 5.1 l / 100 km in the mixed and 6.1 l / 100 km in the urban one. The savings do not differ too much from that obtainable with the Sandero, almost double the expense to cover a 100 km stretch of petrol. Few differences in terms of equipment.
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Federicovecchio.com We specify that in order to use an LPG car, a few liters of petrol are required to be consumed at the beginning of the journey, until the LPG counterpart is activated; to simplify the calculations we preferred not to take it into consideration and we do not believe that it will particularly affect use. We also remind you that, unlike petrol and electricity, you can only fill up with LPG in served mode (and hardly at night).
Unlike methane, LPG still represents a valid solution as a alternative to petrol and diesel. Less convenient than hybrid cars, but still advantageous. Even considering the continuous increase in the price of petrol, we find it difficult for an LPG car (used on LPG) to become cheaper than a petrol.
