Here's a question to the OP.... the difference between 30mpg and 40mpg on a 30 miles per week commute equates to what?
Every 4 weeks you would save one gallon of fuel... £6 per month? I know £6 is £6 and if you haven't got it then its £6 too much but really? That's 1.8 litres per week.
Its still a tiny, tiny amount compared to running a 30k car...
If you'd have bought a Polo GTI (for example) you'd have been saving a lot more! Or walk/cycle the 3 miles?
Thanks for all the replies, I think you would be right a Polo GTI might of been a better choice. I had not done any research into Euro 5/6 diesel and DPF prior to taking on this 3 year contract hire. I went from smoky old MK1 Leon FR 150bHp that was coming upto 9 years old and having read the VW brochure decided the GTD was the obvious upgrade giving a performance upgrade & better advertised fuel economy. I put the better figures and higher performance down to the weight saving over the Seat. think it was nearly 100kg lighter.
But then reality happened and I realise they must get these figures on a hot engine under perfect conditions unlike a 3 mile commute in heavy traffic and freezing conditions and I'm constantly throwing extra fuel into the exhaust to burn off the soot.
Your right its probably only costing me a couple of quid extra per week but what does annoy me is that the government gives me an advisory fuel rate that I can claim for business mileage use at just 11p per mile currently without having to declare any BIK on it.
The reality is that it is costing me say 17p currently to nip to see a customer locally.
Only another 2 & 3/4 years and then I will have to do my homework and probably look at a petrol machine.