Nearly two-thirds of motorists in the UK have been put off the idea of buying a diesel car, according to a new report.
A survey conducted by Carbuyer claims that 61 per cent of respondents wouldn’t buy a diesel car in the future, mainly due to the wave of negative stories that surfaced in the wake of the ‘Dieselgate’ scandal.
The findings are backed up by trends highlighted by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which found that diesel sales fell by 9.2 per cent in February 2017, compared to the same month last year.
Conversely, the sale of hybrid and electric vehicles rose by 48.9 per cent in the same period, while Google search trends show a huge 127 per cent increase in the number of users looking for hybrids.
Stuart Milne, Carbuyer’s editor, said: “Our poll and the SMMT’s sales data both suggest diesel’s unpopularity could well grow in the coming months.
“While diesel can still be a cost-effective choice for high-mileage motorists and those running larger cars, we regularly advise buyers that modern petrol, hybrid and plug-in vehicles can be a better option for shorter trips and urban motoring in particular.”
"Some are flat-out refusing to consider diesel"
Thanks to government tax incentives and a widely-held belief that diesel cars were more environmentally-friendly than petrol-run motors, diesels surged from accounting for around 10 per cent of the new car market in the 1990s to around 50 per cent today.
Since 2001, the UK’s road tax system incentivised motorists who bought cars with low CO2 emissions, prioritising diesels which boast low carbon outputs.
However, more recently it’s been unveiled that while diesels don’t produce as much CO2 as petrol engines, they’re much more polluting in terms of nitrogen oxide and deadly particulate matter emissions.
Carbuyer cites an unnamed car dealer as saying: “A few months ago, customers would look at the petrol and diesel models and decide on cost and fuel consumption.
“Now some are just flat-out refusing to consider diesel, which is something we've never seen before. Those that don't refuse outright are more wary and are asking more questions.”