Should Your F-250 Be Powered by Gas or Diesel?

When you’re shopping for a used truck you have a lot of decisions to make, even if you already know what model you want. Say you’re looking for a used Ford F-250 for sale in Albany. Seems simple enough, right? But you have all kinds of variables to consider: model year, trim level, cab style, bed length, and more—and that’s before you get into the mileage and maintenance history of a particular individual truck. Tackling all of these variables at once gets complicated, but if you look at these choices one by one, you’ll narrow things down to your dream truck in no time.

So today, we’re going to focus on one of the most important aspects of any truck: the powertrain. The F-250 has had many powertrains over its generations, but all of them can be divided into two main categories: gas and diesel. Each fuel has its pros and cons, and neither one is simply “better” than the other. So the question is: Which one is right for you?

Gas vs Diesel 101

On a chemical level, the most important difference between gas and diesel is that gasoline is more volatile. You’ve probably seen an action movie where someone tosses a match into a puddle of gasoline, and the whole thing explodes before the flame even makes contact with the liquid. This scenario would be hilariously anti-climactic if you switched out the gas for diesel: the match would be extinguished by the puddle. This means that gas and diesel engines work very differently. Gas engines use a spark plug to ignite their fuel, while diesel engines use extreme compression. As a result of these differences, each fuel has its own unique set of strengths.

Diesel Strengths

Because diesel engines use an extreme compression process that would be damaging if it occurred in a gas engine, they have to be built stronger to withstand the phenomenon. As a result, diesel engines can last for an impressively long time without needing major repairs. That’s a big plus if you’re putting together a fleet of trucks that will be logging plenty of miles driving around the Capital Region and don’t want to worry about frequent service cutting into your bottom line.

Diesel also offers high amounts of torque (rotational power) across a wide range of speeds. That comes in handy for towing heavy trailers, which is why diesel is much more common among heavy-duty trucks like the Ford F-250 than other vehicles. Modern diesel engines offer all of these benefits without some of the drawbacks that plagued older models, like noisy operation and a rough ride. Diesel engines also offer better fuel economy than their gas-powered counterparts, so every gallon will take you farther.

Gasoline Strengths

One big thing gas has going for it is its ubiquity. Gas is much more common than diesel here in the US, so you’re probably already familiar with the maintenance a gas-powered vehicle needs, the price of gas, and figuring out how far you can go on a tank. And while it would be a huge exaggeration to say that diesel is hard to find at gas stations, it’s certainly not quite as common as gasoline (they are called gas stations, after all).

Gasoline also has a lower freezing point than diesel, which is a big benefit during a cold Albany winter. Modern diesel engines have technologies designed to prevent gelling and make starting them easier, but the idea that these systems might break can be nerve-wracking during the winter, and the fact that gas simply doesn’t have the issue in the first place might bring you more peace of mind. And while gas engines aren’t typically as durable as diesel-powered counterparts, they tend to be cheaper to repair when they do have problems.

Ford’s Gas and Diesel Engines

Now that you know the basics, let’s take a look at the actual engines you’ll find under the hood of a used F-250. If you go way back to the first generation, which debuted for the 1999 model year, you’ll find a 5.4L gas-powered V8 and a 7.3L Turbo Diesel V8. Both produce the same horsepower, 235 hp, but the diesel, as you would expect, delivers significantly more torque (500 lb-ft rather than the 335 lb-ft produced by the gas V8).

During the next few generations, the horsepower figures on the diesel crept upward relative to the gas engine. On a 2008 F-250, the 5.4L gas V8 is good for 300 hp, while the 6.4L diesel V8 delivers 350 hp. For the 2023 model that kicked off the fifth generation, the 7.3L gas V8 churns out 430 hp while the 6.7L High Output diesel V8 produces as much as 500 hp. Torque took a similar path, achieving even more dramatic differences. While the diesel already put out significantly more torque than the gas in the first generation, its figure is nearly double that of the gas option by the third generation (735 lb-ft on a 6.7L diesel V8 compared to 405 lb-ft on a 6.2L gas V8 on a 2011 F-250). Fast-forward to the 2021 model year, and it’s more than double: while the 475 lb-ft produced by the 7.3L “Godzilla” V8 is impressive, it’s nothing compared to the astonishing 1050 lb-ft produced by the 6.7L Power Stroke Turbo-Diesel V8.

Raw specs aside, what does this mean for towing and payload? Well, diesel is always going to be the better bet for maximum towing capacity. Back in the first generation, the gas engine could tow up to 13,500 lbs while the diesel could handle 14,300. Look at more modern F-250s, and you’ll see similar differences between the now-higher figures. A 2021 F-250 with the 7.3L gas V8 can tow up to 19,500 lbs, while a properly equipped model with the 6.7L diesel V8 under the hood can manage as much as 22,800 lbs. But payload is a different story: gas tends to have the upper hand when it comes to how much weight you can load into the bed. Let’s look at those same 2021 engines: the gas can handle up to 4,260 lbs of payload, while the diesel can only accommodate 3,940 lbs.

Price

Now, this is where gas has what is probably its biggest advantage over diesel: Ford’s gas engines are significantly more affordable than diesel engines. For example, let’s take a look at the 2024 model year: every single trim of the F-250 comes standard with a gas-powered V8. If you want to upgrade to a diesel V8, it’ll raise the cost by about $10k. Now, those high costs are certainly lowered if you buy a used model, but they’re lowered across the board, which means that a gas-powered truck is still, by and large, going to be cheaper than a comparable diesel-powered model.

When it comes to costs down the road, things are a little more complicated. As we’ve already mentioned, diesel engines tend to need fewer repairs over their lifetime, but those repairs they do need can be more costly than service for a gas engine. Fuel costs balance out in a similar way. Looking at fuel prices collected by New York State over the past few years, it’s clear that a gallon of diesel is generally a bit more expensive than a gallon of gas. But remember, diesel delivers better fuel economy, so you won’t have to fill up as often and will save some money at the pump that way.

How to Decide for Yourself

Now that you have all the pros and cons, it’s time to apply them to your personal needs as a driver. If you’re on a budget and want the most affordable F-250 you can get, you’ll probably want to stick with gas, which is also the better call if you tend to worry about heavy payload more often than weighty trailers. On the other hand, if you want to unlock the highest towing capacities possible, you’ll need to go with a diesel model, which can also help you save money on fuel over time if you often drive long hauls on I-90 or I-87 with a trailer in tow. If you still have questions about which type of engine is better for you, feel free to reach out! Here at DePaula Ford, we’re always happy to help our neighbors here in Albany find a vehicle that checks every box and exceeds expectations.