LPG car: advantages, disadvantages, price

An LPG vehicle runs on two fuels: LPG and gasoline. While LPG vehicles are not very common in France, they are less polluting than gasoline and diesel vehicles. The advantage of LPG is also that it is almost half the price of gasoline.

🚗 How does a gas vehicle work?

GPL or liquefied gasis a rare type of fuel: about 200 vehicles running on LPG circulate in France. Very few manufacturers also offer gas vehicles: Renault, Opel, Nissan, Hyundai, Dacia and Fiat.

LPG is a mixture of butane (80%) and propane (20%), a low-pollution mixture that emits almost no particles and halves NOx emissions. An LPG-powered vehicle has a special installation that allows it to power the engine with gasoline or LPG.

This device is usually placed at boot level and it is possible to install an LPG kit in a vehicle that did not have one at launch. Thus, there are two tanks in an LPG vehicle, one for gasoline and the other for LPG. We are talking about bicarburation.

LPG refueling is carried out at the service station, like gasoline. Not all service stations are equipped with it, but with an empty LPG bottle, the car can only run on gasoline, which guarantees its autonomy.

The car must start with gasoline. The gas is triggered when the engine is warm and the car can run on either gasoline or LPG, depending on which you choose and how much fuel is available. LPG is injected using a special injector.

The car can automatically switch between the two fuels depending on the amount, but you can also do it manually thanks to the provided switch. The sensor shows the level of each of the two tanks. The rest of the gas car works just like any other!

🔍 What are the advantages and disadvantages of a gas car?

LPG is also fuel less polluting and cheaper than gasoline and diesel. This is the main advantage of the gas engine. However, it also has disadvantages. If the additional costs of purchasing a gas car compared to the conventional model are quite low, the gas kit turns out to be more expensive and cumbersome.

Therefore, it is better to invest in a vehicle that runs on LPG rather than remodeling your existing vehicle. Today the number of filling stations serving LPG has increased so that filling is no longer really difficult.

However, the added weight of an LPG vehicle causes overconsumption compared to the petrol model. Thus, the consumption of a car on liquefied petroleum gas is approximately 7 liters per 100 km, or a liter more than a gasoline car. However, the price of LPG will allow you to pay more than 40% cheaper in an equivalent amount.

Here is a summary table of the main advantages and disadvantages of a gas car:

Hybrid or Gas Vehicle?

Today, hybrid vehicles are more common in the French market than LPG vehicles. They have two motors, one electric and the other thermal. Depending on how you use your hybrid vehicle, which is more suitable for city driving, you can save up to 40% on your fuel budget.

But there are different types of hybrid vehicles, in particular with or without a plug-in, and not all are eligible for environmental bonus... In addition, their electrical autonomy is relative, and they are more suitable for city driving than for long motorway trips.

The additional cost of buying a hybrid vehicle is also higher than that of a gas vehicle. However, a hybrid car benefits from more power.

Electric car or gas?

Although LPG is more environmentally friendly than petroleum because it does not emit particles from gasoline combustion and is less dependent on oil exporting countries, it remains fossil fuel... It also emits carbon dioxide and is therefore only a transition to truly clean, low pollution mobility.

However, even if electric vehicles do not emit CO2, their production is highly polluting. In addition, the battery of an electric vehicle is not environmentally friendly either during production or at the end of its service life.

Electric vehicles are also much more expensive than LPG vehicles. But the electric car has the right to conversion bonus and an environmental bonus that slightly reduces this additional cost.

🚘 Which gas vehicle to choose?

The supply of LPG vehicles is further declining. However, we recommend that you opt for a vehicle that runs on LPG rather than equipping your expensive and bulky kit. If you run into additional cost over an equivalent petrol model (from From 800 to 2000 € approximately), you will still pay less than the Diesel model.

You might also consider buying a used LPG car rather than a new car. However, make sure the conversion was done correctly if it was not the original one.

Depending on your needs, your budget and your desires, here are a few LPG vehicles you can find on the market:

• Dacia Duster LPG ;
• Dacia Sandero LPG ;
• Fiat 500 LPG ;
• Vauxhall Corsa LPG ;
• Renault Clio LPG ;
• Renault Capture LPG.

You can always convert your car to petrol or diesel. The cost of equipping your vehicle with LPG is about From 2000 to 3000 €.

🔧 How to maintain a gas vehicle?

Today, servicing LPG vehicles is much easier than older models. Like the gasoline model, you need to overhaul your car every 15-20 km... The advantage of LPG is that your engine clogs less and therefore requires less maintenance.

However, the LPG vehicle has some special features: filters additional in the LPG circuit, additional hoses and steam regulator not available on the petrol model. Otherwise, servicing your LPG vehicle is the same as servicing a gasoline or diesel vehicle.

Now you know everything about an LPG car! A cleaner alternative to a gasoline car, it also has a lower cost price thanks to much lower LPG prices. LPG remains a fossil fuel, however, and LPG-powered vehicles are still quite rare.