Over the past 12 months there has been a steady decline in the amount of diesel cars sold in the UK and it has now got to the point where the amount is plummeting. But after such an impressive growth, how come the diesel bubble has suddenly burst?

The BBC reported that in 2017, diesel car sales fell by 17.1% compared to the previous year, and these figures are predicted to continue dropping into 2018. Whilst the overall number of cars being sold is dropping too, many consumers are going back towards petrol models and avoiding diesel completely, despite experts reassuring us that diesel engines are actually a lot cleaner than their petrol counterparts.

There are many contributing factors as to why consumers are favouring petrol cars over diesel, including bad publicity, awareness of carbon emissions, higher taxes and the popularity of alternatives such as hybrid and electric cars. Have a read below of these reasons and more, contributing to the spiralling popularity of diesel vehicles.

Awareness of Carbon Emissions and the VW Scandal

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Ever since the scandal that enveloped Volkswagen regarding the understated emissions from their vehicles, the diesel market has never been the same.

In late 2015, the globally-recognised car manufacturer admitted to doctoring some of it’s emission results from diesel cars using a ‘defeat device’. This would be a device or software that detected when it was being tested for emissions and would lower the results automatically. This deception took the industry by storm, with shockwaves still being felt to this day. The belief in diesel engines would never be the same again.

With the VW scandal as catalyst, consumers were left in the dark about the validity of diesel cars and if they were really safer for the environment or not. General consensus shows that consumers are more aware of their carbon emissions than ever before. With such bad publicity around the technology as a whole, as well as newer research showing how much diesel cars can contribute to pollution in cities, many consumers have reverted to petrol.

Higher taxes around Diesel

Many consumers face increasingly higher taxes around motor vehicles that in some instances dissuade them from purchasing at all. Diesel cars have struggled with the same taxes hiking up prices, especially after consumer and market confidence in diesel dropped dramatically.

In April 2017 many new diesel cars were moved in the next tax band, making them significantly more expensive than their petrol equivalents. As a no-brainer for new car owners, this meant that financially it makes a lot more sense to opt for a petrol car over diesel in the current market.

Popularity of Hybrid cars

Source: Wikimedia Commons

As much as the dwindling popularity of diesel cars has been negative for car manufacturers, it has had a much more positive impact on the sale of hybrid and electric cars. The awareness that consumers have over carbon emissions is at an all time high, so it stands to reason that they would be looking for vehicles with considerably less emissions than traditional petrol vehicles.

In the same report (see link above), the BBC stated that electric and hybrid vehicle sales increased by 34.8% in 2017. Despite this being a significant increase, the amount of purely electric cars still remains very low compared to hybrid, though that is likely to change over 2018.

If you are thinking of scrapping your existing vehicle, or would like a quote on a repair or service, Dronsfields can help. Get in touch with our expert team today for further advice.

Sources: