Gas versus Diesel Car?

Diesel is much more popular in Europe than in the US. It should be available everywhere gasoline is available, and historically diesel fuel cost less than gas plus diesel cars were on average more fuel efficient. You just need to make sure you put the right kind of fuel in the car.

I've always wanted a diesel rental car but unfortunately never seem to get one in Europe. (Though now with the VW diesel scandal showing exaggerated emissions, I'd think twice about that.)

I use my smart phone as a GPS now anyway so don't care if the car has one or not. Because GPS doesn't require mobile data, your phone can be used for free (don't even need a SIM card) as a GPS in Europe, as long as you download the map ahead of time (e.g. Google Maps "offline maps."). One reason I prefer my smart phone is that I already know how to use it - don't have to spend time fiddling with a new device I've never used before and try to navigate with it on vacation.

All fuel stations will have both Gazole (Diesel) and Essence, just don't use the wrong pump.
"Essence" is often also labelled "Sans Plomb" (=Lead free)
See photo: http://cdn2-europe1.new2.ladmedia.fr/var/europe1/storage/images/europe1/economie/gazole-retour-sur-cinq-annees-de-baisse-2508109/23054387-1-fre-FR/Gazole-retour-sur-cinq-annees-de-baisse.jpg

We love the gas mileage the diesel cars in Europe get and diesel fuel is readily available at gas stations.

Thanks all for the info. Very helpful. Love the picture.

Yes, you'll get much better mileage with a diesel vehicle.

We always hope we get a diesel car, so much less expensive to drive.

A couple of other notes that might be of interest.

First, vehicle fuel in general is called carburant (you may see that on signs pointing to a fueling station), and diesel may be called by one (or more, even at the same fueling station) of the following names in France:

• diesel
• diésel
• gazole
• gasoil

It can be a bit disconcerting until you get used to it.

Secondly, while the autoroutes (France's equivalent to the interstate highway) have tolls pretty much everywhere but in metro areas and in Bretagne (there's some history to that), they're a fast way to make distance quickly and the tolls really aren't that bad in the big picture.

There is another toll, however, and that's the cost of food and fuel at those spacious autoroute aires (truck stops). A baguette sandwich that costs 3 to 4 € at a boulangerie in, for example, Lyon could easily cost 6 € or more on the Autoroute.

And it's not unusual to see diesel on an Autoroute pump cost 0.15 € more per liter than in a service station attached to a store (called a hypermarché and usually located on the outskirts of towns and cities). Look for names such as Intermarché, Carrefour, Auchan, Géant, and E. Leclerc.

That 0.15 € adds up, because you may use 40 liters or more to fill your tank. 40 liters X 0.15 € per liter = 6 €. While, again not a big deal when you consider your airfare cost, hotels, and so on, it adds up over time.

In other words, if you leave the autoroute for a fill-up and your lunch, you may save enough on fuel to cover the lunch cost for one person.

I rent my Cars here in the US and always request a diesel vehicle and the fuel comes out to be about 68 euro Cents a gallon cheaper than gas.
Mike

Although the posts above me have answered the question.

Diesel and gas powered cars are split about 50/50 in Europe so it is just as easy to fill up Diesel as Gas.
You will never go to a station that sells Gas but not Diesel in Europe.

Definitely different than in the US where the number of cars with diesel is a very small percentage so finding diesel can at times be a challenge.

For rental cars, the majority of them are likely to be diesel and I prefer Diesel (better mileage and more torque)

Diesel and gas powered cars are split about 50/50 in Europe

It's a bit more lopsided in France, where about 75 percent of passenger miles are fueled by diesel (https://fr.statista.com/statistiques/484436/circulation-annuelle-des-voiture-france/).

All the more remarkable when one remembers that diesel cars in France consume about 20 percent less fuel per 100 kilometers than gasoline-powered cars (https://fr.statista.com/statistiques/486554/consommation-de-carburant-moyenne-voiture-france/)

For whatever reasons (don't want to get off topic too much)
The US taxes Diesel 25% higher rate than it does Gasoline and Europe does the opposite.
Diesel cost us more per gallon in the US than Gasoline and in Europe Diesel is less than Gasoline.

Everything everyone else said. I'd add you won't know you are driving a diesel. There is no noise, vibration or odor that would make you think you're driving something other than a gas car. The only difference is using the correct fuel pump. And yes, you will save money both on the cost per liter and the amount of fuel you use.

Every car I’ve rented in Europe for the past 10 years has been diesel. Diesel is available at almost every service station. As others have said, you won’t know you’re driving a diesel.

I just drove a diesel car all over Normandy and the Lorie and it was great. Great mileage, great driving, no problem at all with gas since every station I wen to had pumps for both.