Gasoline versus Diesel

Diesel cars get much better gas mileage, so even if the price is a bit higher for diesel it would probably be worth it.

You can get current prices for gas and diesel here:
http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/eupetrolprices/

Last year was the only time ever I've seen diesel being more expensive at the pump than regular gasoline. Right now once again it's slightly cheaper than gasoline.

In any event you get MUCH better gas mileage out of a diesel engine. Depending on the model the savings may be around 25-50%. So even if the price for diesel was slightly higher (last year about 5% higher) it would be definitly cheaper to rent/lease a diesel car.

There's one caveat: cars with a diesel engine are usually more expensive to buy. So if your lease for diesel is higher than the one for the same car with a gasoline engine would be you need to calculate more carefully.

In terms of driving characteristics smaller diesel engines may lack a bit of "oumph". You may feel it in slower acceleration or when going uphill. But the difference has become less noticable in newer models.

I leased a diesel and you would never know the difference. I picked it primarily because fuel was slightly cheaper and much better gas mileage.

Engines (and cars) are smaller in Europe. You can get the oomph you need with a standard transmission. The automatic transmissions seem to get less power out of a similar sized engine.

Do Renault cars come with an engine at all? Just kidding. The price difference between gas and diesel at the moment is between 15 and 20 cents per liter in Germany and France. Today diesel was an average of €1.03 and regular was €1.29 per liter in Frankfurt. In Switzerland both are pretty much the same price for tax reasons. Diesel gets a much better milage. Old-fahsioned automatic transmissions slow down the acceleration a little bit but modern DSG drives (look and feel like automatic but technically they're something completely different) are as speedy as a manual but much more economic! So far they're available in VW, Skoda, Audi, Seat, Volvo and Toyota cars in Europe. Toyota call the transmission type "Multidrive S". What size Renault are you going to lease by the way?

Andreas' Frankfurt fuel prices are roughly $6.70/gallon for regular and $5.35/gallon for diesel (using exchange rate of $1.37, today's interbank rate + 2%).Here's a handy chart showing fuel prices in various European countries, already converted to dollars per gallon Europe gas prices in $ per gallon, but note the charts are based on May 1 prices and thus don't show the increase in fuel prices of the last 3 weeks.

Hi Linda, I've rented identical Lagunas from RenaultUSA; one diesel-powered and two gasoline-powered cars. The gas cars had more power and therefore more enjoyable to drive. But the diesel got over 40 miles per gallon over 4000 miles of driving and the gas cars got only 24 miles per gallon over about the same number of miles. The extra cost to rent a diesel is worth it if you are planning to drive several thousand miles. The diesel Clio should get at least 50 miles per gallon. BTW, I have been very pleased with RenaultUSA. The people are nice and helpful, Renault cars are very enjoyable to drive, and each time I lease from them it is a great experience. I would recommend RenaultUSA to anyone.

Thank you all so much for your info, it's been very helpful, and thanks Charlie for the positive feedback on Renault.
The Clio 11 gas model is the cheapest but only 60hp. The Modus is 100hp but also gasoline, and the Clio 111 diesel is 85hp but is $200 more. I have some thinking and figuring to do still, but I think I may go for the Clio 111 diesel. Thanks again and may we all cross our fingers for lower gas prices and a stronger US dollar by Sept. if not sooner!! :)

Let me give you a tip from a diesel car owner. Take a hand full of food service plastic gloves. Diesel is oily and smelly -- much more so than gasoline. The pump handle will always be oily from diesel spills and easily transfers to your hands if you are using self service. The smell will stay with you much longer than gasoline and it transfers to everything. So always use a gloved hand when pumping diesel.

I also leased a Renault. The car was exactly what I asked for.

I picked up in Amsterdam and was met at the airport, driven to the dealership and on our way in reasonable time.

I dropped off in Rome. Other than the typical Italian experience (the person we were supposed to meet was nowhere to be found so wandered the airport asking multiple people where to find him and making numerous unanswered calls), it went as agreed also. We never had a scratch in the car so can't speak to what might have happened in that circumstance.

This is going to sound stupid, but bear with me. Be sure to ask at the rental location what the fuel you need for the car is called at the pump. For example, diesel in France is called gaz oil.