Gasoline (Petrol) vs Diesel: Which one is better? A Beginner’s Guide

Gasoline (petrol) and diesel are extracted from the same raw material – crude oil—and pass through various levels of refinement. Yet, they have different thermal characteristics, making them suitable for very different purposes. For example, diesel has a higher density than gasoline, which makes it more energy-intensive. Due to this, less diesel is required to produce the same energy output as gasoline. Similarly, diesel engines are bulky, and typically consist of longer piston strokes, so they can’t reach high RPMs without incurring a lot of mechanical strain. This causes a loss in the total power output, although diesel's benefit from the tremendous torque that is generally lacking in gasoline engines.

In this video, we compare a number of features of diesel and gasoline engines to look at which fuel is better, or in other words, is there really a better fuel?