Matching the Fuel Type to the Consumer

You might have heard about the government’s plans to reduce vehicle emissions by ending the sale of ‘conventional’ petrol and diesel cars by 2040, with the UK also pledging that half of its new car sales will be hybrid or electric by 2030 as part of its ‘Road to Zero’ campaign.

Being environmentally conscious is all well and good, however, these respective dates are eleven and twenty-one years into the future, therefore, it’s not the end of the world for our conventionally fueled cars.

Misconception of Diesels

In the past few years, diesel cars have come under a lot of fire, largely due to emission scandals. This has put some people off; however, when it comes to buying a car it all depends on the consumer’s needs. If they drive a lot of miles, then a diesel will ultimately provide the best fuel economy on average compared to petrol; saving consumers money in the long run.

Then there’s the supposed issue of holding its value. Although new diesel sales have fallen, the used market is less affected. Valuation specialists ‘Cap HPI’ suggest demand for used diesels is still strong, which is great news for used car dealers. Further more, only new diesels were impacted by car tax increases, with the rise being as little as £20 and it’s expected that any future legislations will apply to new diesels only.

Why Petrol?

In the past, many people opted for petrol over diesel due to the latter being noisy, unrefined and smelly, while petrol cars in comparison were smoother, more free revving and appealed more to the driving purists. However, these days diesels have seen a massive technological advancement and are often faster, more fuel efficient while also provide a good driving experience.

For those that don’t make long trips using roads such as dual carriageway or motorways regularly, then petrol may be better suited for them as diesels are fitted with a particulate filter and require regular long runs at high engine speed to clean the filter to prevent build up in the system.

Electric Future for Car Dealers?

New data from Deloitte suggest that the costs of owning an EV will be the same as a conventionally power car by as early as 2021. They also predicted that EVs will account for 70% of the electrified car market which shows we could be well on our way to meeting the governments ‘Road to Zero’ plan if we carry on making progress this way.

For more information about how ClickDMS can help your dealership with stock acquisition, get in touchtoday by emailing marketing@clickdealer.co.uk, 01782 478 220 or via our contact page.