What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

whatcar.com^ April 2020 51

Our advice is to work out the costs for your

particular situation. You’ll need to take into

account your mileage, the cost of the fuel,

any charges you might face and the risk of

diesel models dropping further in value.

For the highest-mileage drivers, diesel will

still make the most sense. But if you don’t

do enough miles to justify the extra cost

those new charges might add to your

outgoings, putting your money into a petrol

or electri ed car might be a safer bet.

SAYS

invested in a zero-emissions future, with

some 60 plug-in models now on the market

and 34 more coming in 2020. However, with

current demand for this still-expensive

technology still just a fraction of sales,

it’s clear that accelerating an already very

challenging ambition will take more than

industry investment.”

The SMMT also described the current

state of the UK’s charging infrastructure as

“woefully inadequate”.

What does this mean for drivers?

The clock is ticking for petrol, diesel and

hybrid cars, with 15 years at the very most left

for buyers to purchase these vehicles new. In

the short term, don’t expect much to change,

because most of us will change cars at least

once more in that time.

However, as we get closer to the ban, expect

to see larger discounts on any remaining new

cars and vans with combustion engines and

more incentives designed to get you into a

fully electric model instead.

As is already happening today, you’ll see

more and more EVs go on sale, to make sure

that buyers have as much choice as possible

and get used to the idea of going electric.

Also expect to see continuing investment in

the UK’s charging infrastructure, with more

charging points popping up in your area.

How many electric cars

are sold today?

Last year, 37,850 new fully electric cars were

sold in the UK – an increase of 144% compared

with the previous year but still representing

just 1.6% of the overall new car market.

Meanwhile, sales of plug-in hybrids were

down by almost 18% compared with 2018,

with 34,734 sold. The decline in plug-in

hybrids has been put down to supply issues

relating to the introduction of the WLTP

emissions tests in late 2018 and the removal

of the government grant for such cars.

How will this affect used

car values?

The headline announcement about the ban on

the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars

from 2035 probably won’t affect values in the

short term. However, it’s part of a larger air

quality strategy from the Government, which

elsewhere expresses support for levying fees

on older vehicles, especially diesels.

It’s likely that this will have an effect on

the values of older diesels as more towns and

cities introduce such charges, in the vein of

London’s Ultra Low-Emission Zone (ULEZ),

which charges drivers of older, more polluting

cars £12.50 a day to enter.

Diesel car values are slipping relative to

their petrol counterparts in some areas of the

market, and this trend is likely to continue as

more and more owners realise that choosing

a diesel car might lead to signifi cant extra

charges if they use them to commute.

The values of used petrol cars could rise,

particularly in semi-rural locations where

they won’t be subject to the same additional

fees as diesels.

Buying a petrol-powered used car instead is

likely to be the most logical option. But they’re

vastly fewer in number in some classes, such

as executive saloons and large SUVs.