Your figures match what I had read recently in Auto Express for the lower power engined cars now against the most frugal petrol versions. 60,000 miles a year for a 1 Series/VW Golf/Ford Focus. I think they were using the 118d/118i engine types as the baseline. This 'break-even' point does get less as you go up the model/engine combinations. The E70 is nearer 15,000 a year.
As my mileage has dropped from more than 18,000 a year to less than 5,000 it means I would have been better off with a petrol version. BUT the X6 30i just doesn't have the get up and go that the 40d has unless you use a lot more throttle, and the 4.4 (50i) is too expensive for me.
One interesting comment in the press a few weeks back was the suggestion that as the UK has a very limited diesel refining capacity compared to petrol, meaning we have to import more diesel which adds to its cost at the pumps, and given the ever increasing demands for diesel in India and China, we may actually see diesel rationing by 2020.
Unless there is a step change in diesel technology that produces another major improvement in economy (hybrids perhaps), the improvements made at the smaller end of the petrol engines means that the economy gap is closing.
One thing is certain. We are in for an interesting few years. Especially as by then I'll be approaching retirement so will be more limited in my car purchases..
Never anthropomorphise computers. They hate that.
