Two thirds of Brits think diesels have been unfairly demonised – but only one in 10 plan on buying one as their next car
One in three drivers also believe diesels will outlive the Government's plan to ban the sale of all traditionally-fuelled cars from 2040
TWO years on from the Volkswagen emissions scandal surfacing, Brits now believe that diesels have been unfairly singled out for criticism.
The Dieselgate fallout has been 'over the top', according to 66 per cent of motorists.
Further to that, a third of drivers believe that diesels will not disappear from UK roads following the Government's plan to ban all sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040.
One in 10 Brits go as far as saying that diesels will never fully die, with a quarter of motorists saying electric and hybrid cars won't become commonplace in their lifetime.
However, the study - which was carried out by autos buying site carwow - also reveals that only a tenth of Brits plan to buy a diesel as their next car.
Meanwhile, the latest Government figures show that diesel sales dropped a third in Q1 this year compared to 2017.
Alex Rose, carwow International Trading Director, said: “Any assumption that diesel will trickle to zero is presumptuous - we don’t believe this will happen - at least not in the foreseeable future.
“The fear factor will pass. The uncertainty - powered by a lack of Government clarity - will dissipate as the reality is that the current generation of diesel cars are very clean.
“We are seeing that pragmatism is slowly returning - drivers are taking their own driving needs into consideration and the reality is that for some drivers, a new lesser-polluting diesel, is the best option.
"For the past three months, interest in diesel has been steady at 32 per cent of total configurations and accounted for 25 per cent of purchases.
“While diesel sales are much lower than they used to be across the country and may never recover as strong a market share, there won’t be a vanishing point where the cars simply disappear from roads and forecourts.
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“For drivers doing regular, long distances in their cars, a modern diesel engine is still a sensible choice, particularly for heavier vehicles, for which a diesel engine is perfectly suited.
“New ‘clean diesels’ now offer the power of older models but thanks to their ultra-low sulphur fuel, emissions control technology and generally more efficient engines, clean diesels now have near-zero emissions.
"As a result, our future will see diesel continuing to play a significant role in powering vehicles, alongside petrol, electric and hybrid.”