What is the difference between "Gazole" and "Diesel" in France?
I am driving a car with a Diesel engine. I always thought that "Gazole" and "Diesel" were synonymous to each other, only to drive in a gas station which mentioned both terms, as in "Gazole" and "Diesel extra".
This made me wonder if there is a difference between both terms. My car seems to function normally on both. So I guess if there is a difference it must be on the additives added to the fuel. It could also be that one is for agricultural purposes and the other isn't (similar to Red Diesel in the Benelux).
So my question: What is the difference between Gazole and Diesel in French. Am I allowed to use both with a general purpose vehicle?
Best Answer
Gazole and Diesel are synonyms - end of story.
Regarding the confusion over brand names such as "Gazole Supra!" "Diesel Ultra!" "Diesel Mega!" etc...
...for example Totale has "Total Excellium" !
http://www.total.fr/mes-deplacements/tout-savoir-sur-les-carburants-total.html
That is nothing more than a registered product name.
(Exactly like "Big Mac" or "Toyota Corolla".)
BP has "ultimate" (for both Gazole-aka-Diesel, and, essence).
(Note that in that example it happens to be officially named "bp ultimate diesel" (apparently in lower case) and they add the word gasoil after that in the blue and green logo .. presumably because gasoil is more of a French word than diesel; you know about the requirements for French language in advertising in France.)
I believe the confusion over the addendum "extra" is that you are simply seeing product names, that have exciting words (such as "extra" or "ultimate") added on the end.
There is no special meaning to "extra" or these other brand-names. And, certainly, gazole / diesel are precisely the same thing: there is absolutely no difference between the two - they are literally synonyms.
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Is gazole the same as diesel in France?
gazole is simply the french word for "diesel". it's that simple.What is the difference between number 1 and 2 diesel?
Diesel #1 is also known as winter diesel because it performs better than Diesel #2 in cold temperatures. It has a lower viscosity and is not prone to gel in freezing temperatures. Most stations offer a premium Diesel mix that is blended for local weather conditions. Diesel #2 costs less at the pump.Why are there two diesel types?
Standard diesel fuel (sometimes called diesel oil) comes in two grades: Diesel #1 (or 1-D) and Diesel #2 (or 2-D). Just as gasoline is rated by its octane, diesel fuel is rated by its cetane, which indicates how easy it is to ignite and how fast it burns. The higher the cetane number, the more volatile the fuel.What Colour pump is diesel in France?
I found out after having our rental car towed, France's diesel gas pump is YELLOW.Quelle est la différence entre l'essence et le gasoil ? - C'est pas sorcier
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Answer 2
While driving through France Sept. 2019 we frequently encountered pumps vending two grades of "gasoil" (what the French call diesel fuel). One was labeled simply "gasoil" and the other something like "super" or "ultra" gasoil, both of the same brand. My diesel driving brother-in-law wasn't sure of the difference and always used the cheaper of the two. We speculated that the potential differences could include cetane number, purity, detergent or lubricating additives, bio content, etc. I wasn't confident enough of my French to ask an attendant.
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