Benefits Of LPG vs Petrol Vehicles

LPG vs Petrol

One of my clients is considering converting his petrol-fueled fleet of vehicles to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

He thinks it will save him ~10% on fuel costs each year once. 

Many others are thinking of doing the same so I decided to write a short post on the benefits of LPG vs. petrol vehicles and when people should switch. But first, below is a special sale for our readers!

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LPG vs Petrol Vehicles

CO2 Emissions

LPG, also known as propane or autogas, is a by-product of crude oil extraction and the refining process. 

Many people consider LPG as an alternative to petrol because they believe the combustion of propane results in lower CO2 emissions. Unfortunately, the jury is still out on this matter. 

In fact, two recent studies found conflicting results in terms of the production of hydrocarbons from the combustion of LPG. The first found a significant increase in CO2 emissions compared to petrol and the other showed a slight increase at a low engine load but a considerable decrease at a high engine load.

Particulates Emission and Octane Rating

What is certain is that LPG burns cleaner than petrol. As a result, the emission of particulates is very low. 

Moreover, LPG is non-toxic, non-corrosive and free of tetra-ethyl lead and additives.

It also has a high octane rating (The octane rating is a measure of how likely a gasoline or liquid petroleum fuel is to self ignite. The higher the number, the less likely an engine is to pre-ignite and suffer damage).

Fuel Costs

In terms of fuel costs, LPG costs a little more than half the price of petrol or diesel, but the fuel economy is about 20-25% lower. Therefore you can get much more bang for your buck (or in other words, more miles per gallon). 

Fuel Costs - LPG vs. Petrol - Picture of Gas Pumping Station

According to the AA, overall running costs of an LPG car is approx. a third less than a petrol-only car – but only once you've recovered the cost of the conversion.

The cost of converting an existing petrol car so it can run on petrol or LPG costs between £1,500 and £2,500.

When to Switch to LPG

In order to make this investment worthwhile, you will need to travel around 14,000 miles a year (i.e. if you have a typical delivery van then you are most likely doing about 20,000 miles p.a., LPG is, therefore, a good option to consider if you are trying to reduce your total life operating costs for the van).

Other Considerations

From an insurance perspective, the Automobile Association advises that the installer should provide you with a registration receipt to show that the conversion has been done correctly. A copy of this will be required by your insurance company.

If you live in Europe (incl. the UK) you should also note that you can't take an LPG powered car through the Eurotunnel, even if the tank has been emptied or disconnected. There are also restrictions in some underground car parks here and in Europe.

It is important to be aware of any location-based restrictions.

Conclusion

In short, the benefits of LPG vs. petrol fuel cars are significant, but only make economic sense if you are running at high engine loads and doing at least 14,000 miles a year.


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13 comments
laszlo says October 25, 2015

Well I don’t know about other countries but in here (Eu/Romania) worth using LPG. It saves about 40% vs gasoline usage. The conversion kit cost only about 550 US $, manpower included. It come with a 2 years warranty. I have it in a Skoda Octavia I. Before it was necessary about 6.5 liter of gasoline/100Km. Now it uses about 7.8 L LPG. The LPG here can be bought for 2.35 Ron. The gas price is 5.10 Ron. I have calculated the consumption during the 8000 Km we made. translated to a gasoline consumption I got this value. Our car now consumes 4.2 L of gasoline equivalent. I added the gasoline price also in this value to cover the additional gasoline used for starting the engine. The speed we running the car is about 100 KM/H in outside roads and whatever speed you can have driving in the a city of 180 000.

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عنایت says August 4, 2017

Hi
I use lpg us fule in my car.with use Of lpg I can save about 60%.and its nice for pepole that drive long distanc spacial out Ofer city.I live in iran and this information is about this county.

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Nick brown says January 2, 2018

Australian gov is a complete con job. We have our own lpg supply. And though its a cleaner fuel they discourage using it by allowing prices to sky rocket. What abosolut con artists. Gov knows that its tge lower class who 7se lpg hence their lack of concern and even extatic attotude towards price hike on lpg. We produce lpg and pay the worlds highest price for it. Can anyone smell the bulshit

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Patrick Jubb says November 10, 2018

Any thoughts

Thoughts on diesel engines I can’t work it out?

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    Bill says December 22, 2018

    If you ask to put LPG on diesel, the answer is NO, because of simply how the ignition works. LPG works only on petrol engines.

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Ian says January 26, 2019

I run a 2009 FG 4 liter 6 cylinder Ford Falcon on liquid injection gas in Australia . Each time I fill the tank I put the trip meter back to zero. I write my km on my fuel docket. This vehicle constantly averages 8.5 km per liter. That is 11.76 liters per 100 km. At 60 cents a liter 100 km costs me $7.05. That is 7 cents per km. Petrol at $1.40 a liter at present $7.05 divided by $1.40 is 5 So It cost me to drive a family size car 4 liter 6 cylinder engine the same as a vehicle averaging 5 liters per 100 km. on average. By the way liquid injected gas has slightly more grunt than petrol so certainly no power loss. For those old school 100 km is 60 miles 5 liters is 1.09 gallons . to do 60 miles. equal to 55 mpg if using petrol.

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AVTAR says April 12, 2019

WHAT IS THE PRICE OF LPG FOR VEHICLES USE ?

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Dave says April 12, 2019

I live in london where TFL have just ruled against LPG having any kind of exemption in spite of having much lower emissions than petrol and diesel and ZERO N2O which is typical of an autocratic ignorant money-grubbing organisation.

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Riley White says January 7, 2020

It is great information and clearly explained the difference between LPG & petrol vehicles. I was looking for this information because I am thinking to rent a gas forklift for my warehouse. Your post has given me great help..thanks for sharing it.

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Nikunj says February 14, 2022

LPGs (Liquid Petroleum Gas) are regarded as cleaner, safer and cheaper to run than petrol vehicles. However, compared to LPGs, petrol vehicles are considered more reliable, more powerful

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Dutch de Vries says March 25, 2022

Your story is incomplete and not telling the real truth. If you believe Citizen khan of London then LPG would not be clean but he only want to charge congestion charges. I drive LPG for over 40 years and is and was always the cleanest fuel. My V8 5.4L van produce 0% emissions. Much more cleaner than EV’s how ruin the environment when digging up Lithium and disposal of the batteries

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Shammy Peterson says May 24, 2022

It sure was interesting when you said that LPG burns cleaner than petrol, and it is non-toxic and non-corrosive. My husband is actually planning to have heating oil delivered for his 4-wheeler truck and for our furnace tomorrow afternoon. It is important for him to choose a solution that is safer and cleaner since we have two children who are prone to asthma attacks.

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Dutch says December 9, 2022

I drive 42 years LPG consumption is about 10% higher but very clean and with the price difference you don’t need 14000 miles. In Europe nearly every petrol station sell LPG. It should be more promoted by the government.

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