New car sales record biggest fall since the credit crunch – and diesel is to blame
THE war on diesel caused UK car sales to plummet last year - the biggest fall since the credit crunch.
Brit buyers shunned new diesels and stayed put in older models rather than risk being hit by taxes.
It meant dealers shifted 2.54million cars in 2017 - down 5.7 per cent, according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures.
And diesels dropped by 17 per cent over the year - plummeting to as much as 30 per cent in November and December thanks to the toxic war by government.
Dealers endured a strong start to 2017 and a bumper March ahead of changes to vehicle excise duty.
But the rest of the year was turmoil as the government targeted diesel motors with taxes and surcharges.
The move has left Brits staying in older, more polluting models or buying petrols causing emissions to soar - the latest figures revealing CO2 ratings for cars have increased for the first time for 16 years.
And things aren't expected to get better with experts predicting 2018 to be another tough year - down by up to seven per cent.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: "It's not good news. It's been a volatile year.
";But diesel is far from dead - people need to buy the right technology for what they do. Some can save £400 a year driving a diesel rather than a petrol."
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The SMMT figures show petrol sales have increased by 2.7 per cent while alternatively fuelled vehicles have soared by 37 per cent.
Brits are buying hybrids and battery cars in record numbers.
And despite the falling numbers the total figure is actually the third best year in a decade - and the sixth best since the 1950s.