Posted on 20 February 2019 by CarTakeBack

Diesel sales are still declining

Diesel sales are on the decline in the UK in a big way. Following 21 consecutive months of decline, car manufacturers are now selling 38% fewer diesel models than they were at their peak.

As of the start of 2019, diesel cars account for less than a third of the UK car market. On the other hand, sales of petrol vehicles in the UK have increased by 8%.

More old diesels are being scrapped

The recent trend against diesel motors is not just restricted to new and imported car sales. CarTakeBack can reveal that we scrapped more diesels last year than ever before when compared with petrol cars.

• In 2018, 30% of cars scrapped by CarTakeBack were diesel, compared with 70% petrol.
• This is up from 27% in 2017, which was a significant increase from 20% in 2016.
• Over the last 4 years, the share of diesels scrapped by CarTakeBack has leapt from just 14% to just under a third of all scrappages.

Diesels: No longer a long-term investment?

Diesel cars have been in the news regularly since the Volkswagen emissions scandal emerged in 2015. Since then diesels, particularly older ones, have been perceived as environmentally damaging.

By 2030, the UK government has pledged that half of all new car sales will be electric or hybrid in a plan to reduce vehicle emissions.

2030 is still a relatively long way off, but it seems this has damaged consumer confidence in diesel cars as a long-term investment.

Diesels to be taxed more heavily

In his 2018 budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that owners of new diesels that do not comply with RDE2 emissions standards could find themselves paying up to £520 more in their first ear of ownership.

For example, according to Which, a Volkswagen Golf 20 TDI purchased after April 2018 will see a five year total car tax upwards of £700.

Driving diesels in London is getting more costly than ever

London has been notorious for traffic congestion and exhaust pollution for decades and there has been a major clampdown on this in recent years. The most significant development was the 2003 congestion charge.

The capital is not stopping there, though. From April 2019, a new Ultra-Low Emissions Zone will be enforced. This means owners of cars registered before 2005 could be hit with an additional £12.50 fee on top of the existing £11.50 congestion charge. This will affect both petrol and diesel cars.

Unlike petrol cars, though, diesels will have to meet Euro 6 emissions standards too if they are to avoid the additional congestion charge. This effectively means any owners of diesels registered before 2015 will have to pay up. It seems there has never been a better time to scrap your old diesel in London.

Government has backed out of Diesel Scrappage Scheme

The UK government last year abandoned a national diesel scrappage scheme, which had been a popular proposal with environmental activities. This scheme was intended to assist owners of older, dirtier diesels, by offering compensation to those who trade in or modify their polluting vehicles to make them cleaner.

The government decided against this, due to fears it would be too difficult to deliver. Fortunately, CarTakeBack is an authorised and responsible car recycling and scrappage service, who still offers a real financial incentive to get rid of your old diesel – before it costs you even more money.

To find out how much your old diesel (or any car for that matter) is worth, you can get an instant quote today.