UK buyers of new diesel cars are running out of options

LONDON: U.K. drivers looking to buy a new diesel car are running out of options, with available models at their lowest since 2015.

Research from CarGurus — a leading automotive marketplace in the U.K. to shop, buy, and sell used vehicles — has found that the choice of new diesel cars available in 2024 has declined by over two-thirds (68%) since 2015.

Today, there are just 65 diesel variants available to U.K. drivers across the 30 most popular manufacturers, compared to 202 in 2015.

Furthermore, SMMT car registration data reveals that diesel models had 48.5% of the market in 2015, whereas in 2023 — for a full-year comparison — this declined to just 3.8%. Total 2023 diesel sales were just 5.6% of the 2015 figure (71,501, versus 1,276,871)ii.

Diesel has held a strong place in the hearts of U.K. buyers for the past two decades, thanks, in part, to increased fuel economy compared to petrol alternatives.

Its popularity with manufacturers increased throughout the late 2000s, peaking in 2015 with 202 diesel models available across the top 30 brands, an increase from 191 in 2010 and 123 in 2005.

Since then, the availability from manufacturers and demand from buyers has been in steady decline; 167 new diesels models were available in 2020 and just 65 this year.

In 2015 only two automakers, Lexus and Smart, did not offer a diesel model.

Today the figure has risen to 14 manufacturers and includes established brands such as Vauxhall, Nissan, and Fiat.

Owing to higher VED (tax) costs for a diesel car; the introduction of low emission zones (ULEZ); the increasing cost of diesel versus petrol at the pumps; the diesel emissions scandal and a wider choice of alternative powertrains, buyers have largely turned away from diesel.

However, the latest SMMT new registrations data from September 2024 shows a rise in demand for diesel from private buyers, with sales increasing by 17.1% – a volume uplift of 1,367 units - compared to a year prioriv.

While the overall trend still favours petrol and alternative fuel vehicles, it demonstrates the buying public are not quite ready to abandon diesel.

For buyers with a diesel at the top of their wish list, there are a variety of good value used models available that comply with the ULEZ standards, as well as the European Union’s most stringent regulations, the Euro 6 emission standard.

CarGurus gives buyers the ability to search and filter its extensive used-car stock by ULEZ compliance.

Larger diesel engines, for instance in the 2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Audi Q7, may be overlooked when considering EURO 6 compliance, however, they are all currently accepted in U.K. ULEZ zones.