Greener and Cleaner.
- Compared with petrol and diesel, LPG is the best environmental alternative
- LPG is a low carbon content fuel that can reduce your carbon footprint
- LPG produces fewer harmful emissions that impact on local air quality
- Engine noise is low
- Less damage to soil and water in case of spills - LPG will quickly evaporate in the event of a fuel spill. Unlike petrol and diesel, there is no risk of ground or water contamination
Cheaper
- Savings of around 40% compared with petrol and over 20% compared with diesel on fuel costs on fuel savings
- Cheaper road tax for some vehicles
- Discounts on London Congestion Charges
- Discounts on some car parking schemes
Greener
Reduce your carbon footprint by running on LPG
Independent Pan-European tests were undertaken in 2003 which demonstrated the following results:
- Petrol CO2 is 20.3% more than LPG
- Diesel CO2 is 1.8% more than LPG
The 2005 report by CONCAWE found a small CO2 advantage of LPG over diesel increasing to 10% by 2010 as a result of the worsening CO2 emissions of diesels as those engines struggle to meet Euro V emission standards.
Cleaner
Air quality, particularly in urban areas, is a continuing issue for the nation’s health.
Department of Health statistics show that particulates are responsible for thousands of advanced deaths and thousands of instances of illness; also NOx emissions are a major element of low-level ozone, which causes smog and can worsen existing asthma conditions
Extensive independent tests showed that:
- One diesel vehicle emits 120 times the amount of fine particles as the equivalent LPG vehicle
- It takes 20 LPG vehicles to emit the same amount of NOx as one diesel vehicle
The implementation of "Euro" emission limits is bringing about an improvement in the NOx and particulate emissions of new vehicles but this is only to a limited extent compared with LPG. Even Euro VI diesel vehicles will have many times more NOx emissions than those running on LPG.
Fuel Savings
LPG vehicle users can save around 40% on fuel costs compared with petrol, and over 20% compared with the equivalent diesel. A typical example of a popular car is the 2005 Vauxhall Vectra for which the figures are:
| Fuel Type | Model Details | Euro Emission Level | MPG* | Fuel Price | Cost Per 1000 Miles. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LPG | 122ps 1.8i 5 speed saloon | IV | 29.4 | £ 2.64 per gal 58.1p per litre | £ 89.79 |
| Diesel | 120ps 1.9cdti 6 speed saloon | IV | 49.5 | £ 5.95 per gal 131.0p per litre | £ 120.20 |
| Petrol | 122ps 1.8i 5 speed saloon | IV | 38.6 | £ 5.34 per gal 117.5 p per litre | £ 138.34 |
* Source - Vehicle Certification Agency imperial combined mpg
**Source - Fleet News - 19/6/2008
Another way of looking at the massive savings by running on LPG autogas is by comparing the number of miles travelled for £10 for each fuel. The figures for the above example show:
The low price of LPG autogas is a result of the low level of fuel duty applied by the government. This government support is in recognition of LPG's environmental benefits.
In the 2010 Budget, Chancellor Alistair Darling signalled extended support for the LPG autogas industry.
Fuel duty on petrol and diesel will go up by 2.76p per litre in the current year whilst the duty on LPG will go up by only 2.685p per litre.
As regards the differential in duty we have with petrol and diesel, the government headline commitment is that this differential would not decrease by more than 1p per litre per year. However, rather than seeing this decrease, we are seeing the differential increase to our advantage:
- Year beginning 1/4/2009:
Petrol / diesel increase 3.84p whereas LPG increase only 3.45p - Year beginning 1/4/2010:
Petrol / diesel increase 2.76p whereas LPG increase only 2.685p - This means that the differential will be at its highest ever amount at 42.43p in January 2011
The Chancellor also announced all fuel duty would rise by 1p per litre in real terms in April 2014, ensuring the 5 year commitment on fuel duty is continued.
Fuel duty increases in the coming year are being phased in as follows:
With effect from 1/4/2010 -
- Fuel duty on petrol will go up 1p per litre to 57.19 p
- Fuel duty on LPG will go up 1.43p per litre to 15.265p
With effect from 1/10/2010 -
- Fuel duty on petrol will go up 1p per litre to 58.19 p
- Fuel duty on LPG will go up 0.71p per litre to 15.975p
With effect from 1/1/2011 -
- Fuel duty on petrol will go up 0.76p per litre to 58.95p
- Fuel duty on LPG will go up 0.545p per litre to 16.52p
Mike Chapman, Autogas Manager of UKLPG said:
"This is really good news for motorists thinking of converting to LPG, as motorists are assured of savings for 5 years, it makes a worthwhile investment, even in these difficult economic times"
Did you know...?
- LPG stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas
- LPG autogas in the UK is Propane. LPG is also available as Butane - for further information go to
- LPG autogas is by far the most widely available alternative fuel in the UK.
- There are over 1300 public access vehicle refuelling sites in the UK in addition to which many businesses have their own "bunkered" facilities.
- Research and testing conducted by Dutch research institute TNO concluded that the safety of modern autogas vehicles is in fact better than for petrol vehicles.
- Converting your car can increase the power and performance
- LPG autogas is well established worldwide as an environmentally friendly transport fuel in use in over 12 million vehicles.
- There are over 7 million in Europe and in the UK the market has developed over the last 10 years to around 150,000 LPG vehicles on our roads.
- The UK market is predominantly cars and light commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes. Most petrol driven vehicles can be converted to run on LPG.
- Around 60% of the world supply of LPG comes from the separation of natural gas products, and 40% is a by-product from the refining of crude oil.
- The UK produces around 5.8 million tonnes of which over 2.5 million tonnes is exported. Increased use of LPG autogas will reduce our reliance on imported petrol and diesel.
- In addition to being an automotive fuel, LPG is widely used as an off mains gas fuel and is also available in bottles or cylinders. It is used in domestic, commercial and agricultural situations and for leisure heating and cooking.