Is LPG installation profitable at low mileage?

Petrol, diesel or LPG? Autogas is one of the most cost effective and environmentally friendly fossil fuels. How much can you save by installing an LPG installation? Is LPG installation profitable with low mileage? How much savings can I expect? Let’s count.

LPG installations are an investment that allows us to easily and save a lot. In addition, when traveling by a car with an LPG installation, we will get further than driving only on gasoline. Are the LPG installations only pluses in such a system? Will the cost of setting up an autogas installation ultimately exceed the sum of savings (e.g. at low mileage)? Is diesel driving cheaper than LPG? What will be the real savings from autogas?

Factors influencing the profitability of LPG

Is the gas installation profitable for every driver? Of course – it depends. Autogas savings are based on the number of kilometers you drive – the more you drive, the more you will save. Moreover, the bigger and more fuel-consuming car you own, the faster and more profitable you will get by driving on LPG.

Statistically, a Polish driver drives about 2,000 km a month. With this number of kilometers, the savings from driving on LPG are satisfactory. However, if you drive more than 2,000 km / month, the amount saved really becomes tangible. But what if you use the car rarely and spontaneously, and you drive less than 2,000 km in a month?

Fuel prices

Regardless of the current price level, for 1 liter of LPG we pay about 50% less than 1 liter of gasoline. Moreover, LPG fuel is successively cheaper, faster than conventional engine fuels – gasoline and diesel oil. At a time when autogas fell by PLN 0.19, petrol decreased by only PLN 0.07 (data for the period from 19/12/2019 to 26/02/2020). The current trends show that the difference in the prices of both fuels may increase in favor of LPG even more.

Will the LPG installation be profitable for me? Comparison of LPG vs Petrol vs Diesel

For the calculations, we will use the average real fuel consumption in one of the most popular capacities: the 2.0 engine. The monthly distances traveled from a modest 1,500 km to a considerable 3,000 km. We assumed average fuel consumption in the combined cycle, per 100 km: Pb – 10L, ON – 8L, LPG – 12L.

Comparison of monthly fuel costs (gasoline, diesel, autogas) for individual mileages

Comparison of the annual fuel costs (gasoline, diesel, autogas) for each mileage

Prices for 1 liter of fuel as of January 5, 2021, source: e-petrol.pl: Pb 95 – PLN 4.54, diesel – PLN 4.49, LPG – PLN 2.11.
Average fuel consumption in the 2.0 engine, in the combined cycle, per 100 km: Pb 10L, ON 8L, LPG 12L.

Is LPG profitable? Yes – we checked, it pays off for practically everyone. We deliberately chose neither low fuel consumption nor ‘favorable data’ for the calculations, because we wanted to show real results. We leave them for self-evaluation.

LPG – annual savings

Based on the above data, in only 1 year, while driving on LPG, we will have approximately:

• compared to petrol: from PLN 3,614.40 to PLN 7,228.80,
• compared to diesel: from PLN 1,908 to PLN 3,816.

The amount of expenses on gasoline, compared to autogas, is really impressive. In the case of diesel, the numbers are lower, but still noticeable, especially in the next few years. The numbers do not lie – even with low mileage, driving on gas still pays off.

Prices for 1 liter of fuel as of January 5, 2021, source: e-petrol.pl: Pb 95 – PLN 4.54, diesel – PLN 4.49, LPG – PLN 2.11.
Average fuel consumption in the 2.0 engine, in the combined cycle, per 100 km: Pb 10L, ON 8L, LPG 12L.

LPG – annual costs

The savings in the tables look really promising, but remember to make a litlle correction. In order for the values to be as close to reality as possible, the costs of servicing, servicing or installing the autogas installation should be deducted from them.

First of all – assembly. How much does an LPG installation cost? The average price of a car gas installation for a 4-cylinder engine with assembly is about PLN 2,500-3,000. The higher the number of cylinders in the engine, the greater the installation costs. This is due to more advanced control electronics, a larger LPG tank, longer bundles, more injectors, sometimes an additional reducer and gas filter. Choose the right LPG system in the LPG configurator.

Secondly – servicing. Servicing LPG installations is an additional, but relatively small expense. An annual inspection of LPG installations costs from PLN 100 to PLN 120 (labor with parts). In addition, the cost of annual technical tests of a car equipped with an LPG installation should be added, which is 160 PLN. To sum up, having an LPG installation costs us about PLN 270 per year. Compared to the savings, the amount is definitely “liveable”.

After what time will the cost of LPG installation be refunded?

Knowing the average cost of the LPG installation (PLN 3,000) and comparing the data from the above tables, it is easy to notice that the return on investment will occur in the first year of use (even with a monthly mileage of 1500 km), saving a lot. Remember that each subsequent year of driving on autogas is pure savings that accumulate in our wallet, and do not burn out irretrievably in fuel.

If we want to check data for other values, e.g. installation prices, fuel consumption, mileage, car usage periods after installation, the best solution will be to use the LPG calculator.

A few words at the end

In summary, the installation of LPG systems pays off even with low monthly mileage and low gasoline price. If driving 100km on LPG can cost 50% less than on petrol, why not? The only difference is the time it takes for the assembly to pay for itself. What’s more, the initial investment costs for the installation are not that high, and the installment payment option will relieve our budget.