Halting diesel juggernaut will be a long haul, says RAC

UK VEHICLES are using twice as much diesel as petrol, figures show. Consumption of diesel reached a record 24.6million tons last year compared with 12million tonnes of petrol, according to the Department for Transport (DFT).

The data was published a day after Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, was accused of adding to the “demonisation of diesel” by raising taxes on new diesel cars. Sales of new diesel models have fallen since the Volkswagen emissions scandal emerged in Sept 2015.

But the impact on diesel usage has been limited as more than half of consumption is by vans, lorries, buses and coaches. Diesel usage grew four per cent year-on-year in 2016, while petrol was down one per cent.

Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: “Beyond the 12 million diesel cars, there’s also four million vans and half a million HGVS, the vast majority of which have diesel engines. Whether we like it or not it’s going to take time to halt the diesel juggernaut and ‘green’ a fleet of this scale. Policymakers must bear in mind the significance to the economy of all the business and personal trips these vehicles make, day in, day out, around the UK.”