Diesel car sales set to plunge further this year – but should you really avoid buying one?
Worst is 'yet to come' for diesels, according to experts, who are predicting another drop in sales in 2018
DIESEL sales will continue to plummet this year - and could hit rockbottom in less than 10 years, experts have warned.
Brits are expected to shun the fuel in 2018 and may account for just 15 per cent of new cars by 2025, according to the study.
Aston University is predicting another huge decline after a 17 per cent fall was reported in 2017 following a war on diesel from the government's toxic taxes.
Diesels still account for just under half of all new cars but with the new £500 diesel tax coming into force in April, sales are expected to fall.
Automotive expert Professor David Bailey said "the worst is yet to come". He added: "Diesel cars face a raft of challenges, each one of which could damage sales, and which are combining to kill off the domestic diesel sector, which was so rattled by the ‘Dieselgate’ scandal.
"They face a ‘perfect storm’ of bad PR over pollution, coupled with concerns over increasingly strict regulations and sinking second-hand values."
SHOULD YOU BUY A DIESEL?
There are pros and cons to both petrol, diesel and electric cars. So here's a checklist you should consider when buying your next car:
- Do think about the kind of driving you do. Diesels, even older models, are fine if you don’t drive in high-pollution areas.
- Do consider an electric or hybrid if you have a two-car family fleet. Your second car can be a diesel. You may find your EV’s smoothness makes it your first choice.
- Do spread the word that better times are imminent for diesels, brought by stringent standards and a better testing process.
- Don't get the idea that criticism of diesel cars is all wrong. There are at least seven levels of car diesel ‘cleanliness’. Only recent versions can truthfully be termed clean.
- Don't abandon making your next car a modern diesel, though. Diesel sales are helping to deliver vital targets for lowering CO2 and reducing global warning.
- Don't accept assertions that steps already taken to cut toxic emissions and CO2 have not worked. There are figures to show they have. But there’s much more to do.
Professor Bailey said research showed diesel sales will fall by 10 per cent this year and make up a third of the market by 2020 - falling to just 15 per cent by 2025.
Brits will instead turn to plug-in hybrids and pure electric cars - sales of which have surged in the past 12 months.
By the end of this year, there could be 200,000 on the roads, according to the government's Go Ultra Low campaign.
But the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has called for government to clear up the diesel concerns - and inform drivers it's okay to buy.
all you need to know about diesel
Latest models - with Euro 6 engines - are actually cleaner than some petrols and can still offer yearly savings of up to £400 for high-mileage drivers.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: "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."
The rush to ditch diesel has also caused CO2 emissions of new cars to rise for the first time in 16 years and could see longstanding air pollution targets missed.