Scots drivers ditch diesel
Car owners interested in environment when deciding what to buy next
SCOTS are turning their backs on diesel cars in increasing numbers.
The trend, which has been steadily escalating across the UK, is confirmed in Scotland by an exclusive survey carried out for the Daily Record.
We asked more than 500 motorists their thoughts on cars and the car industry, which is going through one of the biggest changes in its history.
Government legislation, climate change and health concerns have impacted massively on a market which, until the turn of the century, had been happily free-wheeling in the fast lane.
Now with the automotive landscape changing, manufacturers are reacting by delivering not just petrol and diesel on to forecourts but hybrids and allelectric cars. Some even experiment with hydrogen power.
In Scotland, only 25 per cent of those who responded to our survey said their next car would have a diesel engine – and of those, eight per cent definitely said they would buy diesel. These would probably be motorists driving SUVs or those doing a high mileage.
By contrast, 65 per cent said they would probably buy a petrol-powered car next. More interestingly, 26 per cent said they would buy a hybrid and 16 per cent an electric vehicle.
That makes 42 per cent of new car buyers opting for an alternatively fuel led carina market that is showing a growing antipathy towards diesel. This attitude has been aided by factors like the diesel scandal in the USA, health reports on diesel emissions and governments across Europe banning the sale of fossil fuelled cars by 2040.
Having decided what kind of car engine suits them best, just how will tomorrow’s motorist fund the purchase?
In Scotland, 51 per cent of those questioned said they would buy their car outright, although most were retired.
Of the rest, 15 per cent said they would choose a PCP deal which allows you to pay monthly for a new car or nearly new car, 14 per cent opted for hire purchase and six per cent for contract leasing – all finance deals.
Young people are most likely to take the PCP route (23 per cent). Many of them see it as a similar deal to one they have with a smartphone. Almost 80 per cent of car sales are funded by PCP. But these deals can be costly to get out of.
And while they remain less risky for older people or those with a steady and settled lifestyle, as we head into Brexit experts warn that wage increases will stagnate, prices rise and inflation grow. In short, we will have another credit crunch.
The other consequence of Brexit is that the price of cars imported from Europe will likely rise.
Components imported for British companies like Jaguar Land Rover will have tarriffs added which will increase the cost, adding to the price of the car.
The three top factors in a car-buying decision for Scots are price, running costs and the type of car available.
It makes sense to buy before March 2019 – consumers can expect some great deals before Brexit.
Overall, many manufacturers run or have run scrappage schemes but in the wake of the announcement of fossil fuel cars being ditched, the schemes and the cars on them have blossomed.
In tomorrow’s paper, we will explain how the scrappage schemes work.
In the meantime, our survey also showed that young people like the idea of an electric car but even older people were interested in hybrids.
The internet is playing a bigger part in our car buying habits too. The younger generation prefer shopping online and more than half of us do our research on the web before we step into a dealership.
Emission levels are real factors in today’s Scotland when buying a car. People want a healthier country for future generations.