Diesel engines were revered for mega-mileage potential, but they’re a niche case now
Diesel was long the fuel of choice for big MPG motorway work, but it’s losing its place in the world
The eternal straw man argument around electric car reticence is that hypothetical scenario wherein someone might have to leave the house at the drop of a hat and whizz 600 miles to the tip of the country without stopping.
“Could an EV do that? No, didn’t think so,” argue the sceptics, who so often cite the unparalleled long-distance credentials of their old diesel smoker as the reason they could never make the switch to an EV that might require several charge stops on such a voyage. “My Peugeot 406 HDi does 60mpg and 800 miles to a tank,” they coo. “Try that with your Elroq.”
To be sure, for a long time it was a convincing argument (irrespective of the fact that the average UK motorist drives only around 115 miles a week) simply because EVs charged too slowly and there weren’t enough chargers to make such journeys possible.
But – as perhaps best represented by the axing of the best-selling Volkswagen Golf diesel – the tide is well and truly turning. There are now nearly 30,000 rapid EV chargers across the country, which are capable of adding meaningful mileage in just a few minutes – and given the exorbitant cost of filling a massive diesel tank in 2026, even the cost argument is dissipating.
Plus there is an increasing number of EVs that have the legs to rival diesel for non-stop motorway-bashing ability – the latest Mercedes, BMW and Volvo EVs being among those that can officially crack 500 miles on a charge.
That’s without considering the wide array of plug-in hybrids now on offer that can return 600-700 miles with a full battery and tank. Try driving even half that without stopping for a ‘comfort break’.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m a huge diesel apologist myself, having owned and thoroughly enjoyed all manner of old oil-burning smokers. Diesel had its place, for sure, and for many it will remain the most logical powertrain choice for years to come (not least because old derv lumps like the VW PD130 and Peugeot XUD are so reliable that they won’t need replacing for decades), but as EV technology and infrastructure continue to improve, the argument for supping from the black pump weakens by the day.
Is it any surprise, then, that the flag-bearer has fallen; that Volkswagen has finally pulled the best-selling Golf diesel from sale in the UK? Perhaps not.
