Toyota Corolla petrol or Volkswagen Passat diesel?

Toyota Corolla 1.4 petrol(2008) versus Volkswagen Passat 1.9 diesel (2008)? My husband drives on a motorway every day to work about 45km a day. Our budget is from €5,000 to €8,000. We've seen a 2008 Toyota Corolla with 103,000km and a Passat 1.9 TDI diesel with 125,000km on the clock. Can you guide us in selecting the most suitable car?

Thnx

Ashline Hubli (Sligo)

Sep 2014 Filed under: petrol vs. diesel

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Expert answer

Hi Ashline,

A tough call this one. Your annual mileage isn't really enough to tip you over into diesel territory, and the Corolla is likely to be the more reliable of the two cars. That said, the Passat would be much more comfy and cosseting on the journey and it costs €180 a year less to tax.

So I guess if comfort is your priority, get the Volkswagen. If it's reliability, go for the Corolla, which will probably also work out the cheaper of the two to run overall.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe