Renault Clio marks the end of diesel in the B-segment

The penny dropped while we were writing about the next-generation Renault Clio: the withdrawal of diesel from the current model will also mark the end of diesel engines in the B-segment, the supermini class.

Diesel engines once defined the B-segment

How things have changed. For most of this century, diesel engines were considered the ultimate sensible choice, including in small cars. They delivered low fuel consumption, ample range, and became progressively smoother and more pleasant to use.

They were the option for parents covering 30,000 kilometres a year with children and luggage in tow, as well as for people who relied on their car as a working tool. No model in the segment escaped them: even the Toyota Yaris, now associated with hybrid power, was once offered with diesel engines.

They were popular with buyers and some achieved cult status. Who could forget the legendary SEAT Ibiza 1.9 TDI - all it needed was two seats and an acrylic partition…

Renault Clio signals the end of diesel in the B-segment

But the times have changed. Dieselgate set the process in motion, and the European Union’s emissions crackdown did the rest. Electrification has pushed diesel engines into the margins, the cost of meeting emissions rules has risen, and taxation no longer shields them.

In the B-segment, where every pound matters, a diesel option has become unviable. The technology is expensive, there are fewer customers for it, and increasingly capable electrified alternatives are available.

Diesel engines have gradually vanished from the segment as each model was updated or replaced by a new generation. Now, just one remains: the Renault Clio. It is therefore preparing to close a chapter in automotive history. The Clio will live on, but its venerable 1.5 dCi diesel engine will not.

Hybrid and LPG alternatives for high-mileage drivers

For the segment’s high-mileage drivers, the choice will be restricted to hybrids - which the Clio already offers and will continue to offer - and the LPG alternative that is also a hallmark of the French supermini.

The benefits for the air we breathe from the end of diesel are beyond dispute, yet nothing truly replaces the feeling of putting £70 of fuel in the tank, travelling 1,000 km and still having some left. For many, that was freedom too.