• Fri. Dec 6th, 2024

Diesel’s decline: Number of diesel models available now just one-third of 2015 figures

Byadmin

Nov 7, 2024 #Diesel
  • CarGurus reveals that for 2024, the choice of diesel models available from the U.K.’s top 30 manufacturers has declined by 68% vs 2015 (from 202 to 65)
  • 47% of Britain’s 30 most popular car brands don’t include a diesel option in their current model lineup
  • Just 13 manufacturers offer more than one diesel model in 2024, versus 27 in 2015
  • CarGurus used car search function enables potential buyers to filter listings by ULEZ compliance, with a variety of model options across different car categories

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 manufacturersi, 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.

Diesel Sales (According to SMMT)iii

2005

2010

2015

2020

2023 (latest full year)

897,887

936,407

1,276,871

261,772

71,501

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.

Chris Knapman, Editorial Director at CarGurus U.K., said:
“Despite the choice of new diesel vehicles having dwindled in recent years, for some drivers it remains the preferred fuel choice. The good news is that there is still a huge selection of diesel vehicles on the used market, including plenty that are equipped with technology to make them ULEZ compliant.

“To make it easy for shoppers to find these vehicles, CarGurus has created a pre-filtered search page for listings of ULEZ-compliant diesels. In addition, based on year-over-year depreciation data from CarGurus, we have picked out the best value ULEZ-compliant diesels in today’s market, from the Citroen C4 to the Land Rover Discovery.”

Best value* ULEZ compliant diesel

Model

Average listing price Sept 2023

Average listing price Sept 2024

YOY reduction

According to Chris Knapman, of CarGurus:

Small hatchback

Citroen C4 (2020-)

£18,363

£12,816

-30.2%

While something of a middle-of-the-road offering in a lot of regards, the C4’s quirky styling and ample practicality do give it some appeal. And with prices on the used market having fallen sharply over the past 12 months, it’s now also better value than ever.

Large hatchback

Vauxhall Insignia (2017-)

£7,178

£5,136

-28.4%

The Insignia has always offered a lot of value for money on the used market when it comes to space, comfort and frugal engines. That’s particularly the case in its most recent Insignia Grand Sport guise, which is looking like a bargain in today’s used car market.

Small crossover/ SUV

Fiat 500X

£13,243

£9,691

-26.8%

It’s not difficult to see the logic behind Fiat’s decision to build an SUV version of its hugely popular 500 city car. If it could combine the style and fun of the 500 with the hugely popular SUV body style then surely the Italian firm would have another hit on its hands. While it didn’t quite pan out that way, an update of the car in 2018 did improve it thanks to upgraded engines and plusher interiors.

Large SUV

Land Rover Discovery 4
(2009-2016)

£23,648

£17,312

-26.8%

The Land Rover Discovery 4 has long-since been replaced by a newer model, but that does nothing to dim its appeal. With its bluff styling, ample practicality and go-anywhere versatility, the Discovery 4 remains a fantastically versatile offering. Just be aware that it has a mixed reliability record, so be sure to do your homework about potential issues.

*Best value as defined by the models with the largest year-over-year price changes. To guard against anomalies in stock, our analysts only looked at models with at least 100 examples listed for sale on CarGurus.co.uk, and only cars that were registered between 2013 and 2023 are included.

30 MOST POPULAR BRANDS IN THE UK 2024

NEW DIESEL MODELS (2005)

NEW DIESEL MODELS (2010)

NEW DIESEL MODELS (2015)

NEW DIESEL MODELS (2020)

NEW DIESEL MODELS (2024)

FORD

8

11

13

10

2

VAUXHALL

4

7

8

8

0

VOLKSWAGEN

11

16

17

17

5

BMW

6

10

12

18

6

AUDI

5

10

11

11

8

MERCEDES

10

12

16

17

13

TOYOTA

9

8

7

3

0

NISSAN

4

7

6

5

0

PEUGEOT

5

10

11

9

2

HONDA

3

3

4

2

0

KIA

4

10

9

6

1

RENAULT

5

9

8

8

1

HYUNDAI

4

7

7

2

0

CITROEN

6

12

9

7

3

LAND ROVER

5

4

6

7

7

SKODA

3

5

6

5

4

MINI

1

3

4

1

0

FIAT

3

5

7

2

0

VOLVO

7

10

8

6

0

SEAT

4

6

5

6

3

MAZDA

2

5

6

2

3

SUZUKI

2

4

3

1

0

JAGUAR

3

3

4

5

4

MITSUBISHI

3

5

4

2

2

DACIA

0

0

3

3

1

LEXUS

1

1

0

0

0

PORSCHE

1

2

3

0

0

MG

1

0

1

0

0

SMART

1

1

0

0

0

JEEP

2

5

4

4

0

TOTAL

123

191

202

167

65

 

By admin