Britons are finding it increasingly difficult to buy new diesel cars as the industry sounds the death knell on the ‘dirty’ fuel type.
Motorists are ‘running out of options’ as manufacturers continue to delete diesel engines from ranges, seeing availability tumble to record lows.
Market analysis shows almost half of mainstream brands have killed off diesel powertrain availability already.
This is reflected in registration data, which shows that just one in every 18 new cars bought this year (to the end of April) are diesels – a 13 per cent decline on the first five months of 2024 as supply dwindles.
But the used car market presents a different perspective on the level of demand for diesel as drivers continue to see their advantages, especially long-distance fuel economy.
The biggest second-hand car stockist in Britain says the average value of diesels have grown 1.6 per cent in the last 12 months – more than any other fuel type. We reveal the ones that are appreciating most in value…
Is diesel dead? Britons will struggle to find new ones in showrooms today as car makers slash their availability. But used market data shows there’s still ample appetite for diesel in Britain…
A severe lack of new diesel options
The choice of new diesel cars has shrunk by 68 per cent in less than a decade, analysis by second-hand marketplace Car Gurus revealed last year.
Its review of the mainstream car market found just 65 diesel options across the 30 most popular manufacturers.
That’s scarce availability compared to a decade ago; in 2015, there were 202 different diesel models on sale in UK showrooms when around half of new car registrations were diesels.
And some major names have culled diesel engines completely.
Vauxhall, which had eight different new cars in 2015 with the choice of a diesel engine now has zero.
Toyota has also gone from a selection of seven diesel models to none in the same period, and Volvo (eight diesel variants available in 2015), Hyundai (seven), Fiat (seven), Nissan (six) and Honda (four) have also followed suit. Mini too has killed off its ‘D’ variants.
Ford has also gone from 13 different diesel options in 2015 to just two presently, while Peugeot has downgraded from 11 models to only a couple. Kia and Renault, which a decade ago offered a broad selection of diesels, are down to only one in their ranges today.
The rapidly diminishing choice of new diesel cars partly explains why diesel registrations have fallen off a cliff edge.
Winding the clocks back to 2014, official figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows 1.24million diesel cars were sold, accounting for more than half (50.1 per cent) of all new passenger vehicle registrations that calendar year.
Back then, they were heavily incentivised by the Government’s emissions-based car taxation (Vehicle Excise Duty) system that rewarded the lower CO2 emissions of diesel cars cheaper annual VED costs for owners.
However, everything changed in 2015 when the emissions cheating scandal was unearthed, sparking an environmental agenda against ‘dirty diesels’.
Hiked VED rates for diesels followed, along with the introduction of low emission zones, such as London’s ULEZ, which have much tougher compliancy rules for diesel cars than petrols, making them far less attractive to people living and commuting into cities.
Pressure has also mounted on manufacturers to down tools on diesel development, with governments around the world setting dates to outlaw the availability of internal combustion engine cars between 2030 and 2035.
As a result, diesel registrations in the UK have nosedived. Last year, just 123,104 were sold – a tenth of the volume entering the road a decade earlier – which was a 14 per cent decline on 2023 sales.
This chart highlights the huge decline in new diesel car sales in recent years. Diesel have represented just a fraction of registrations in the last two years as availability in showrooms declined. A decade earlier, diesels accounted for half of new cars entering the road annually
Used diesel market paints a vastly different picture…
A monumental decline in new car registrations isn’t mirrored on the used market.
Of the 7.6million second-hand transactions recorded last year, almost 2.7million were diesel – that represents a third (35 per cent) of all used cars to change hands in 2024.
A year earlier, 2.75million pre-owned diesels found new keepers, which was representative of 38 per cent of the 7.2million second-hand models bought and sold throughout 2023.
| Fuel type | Used transactions 2024 | Used transactions 2023 | Used market share 2024 | Used market share 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 2,674,725 | 2,747,911 | 35.0% | 37.9% |
| Petrol | 4,367,009 | 4,079,555 | 57.1% | 56.3% |
| Self-charging Hybrid | 306,114 | 221,859 | 4.0% | 3.1% |
| Plug-in Hybrid | 92,120 | 65,837 | 1.2% | 0.9% |
| Electric | 188,383 | 118,973 | 2.5% | 1.6% |
| Source: SMMT |
With over 2.7million drivers still happy to snap up a used diesel, it suggests there’s plenty of appetite amongst Britons.
And Auto Trader data – shares exclusively with This is Money – supports this theory.
The nation’s largest second-hand car marketplace revealed to us that the average price of a used car in April was £16,948 – a 0.1 per cent decline on the same month a year earlier.
However, the value of used diesels rose 1.6 per cent over the same period to an April average price of £14,383.
That’s almost equivalent to the average second-hand petrol car price (£14,912), which has grown just 0.5 per cent year-on-year.
In contrast, the average price of a used electric vehicle slipped 7.6 per cent over the 12-month period, and plug-in hybrids dropped by 3.4 per cent.
Average sale times also show the there’s plenty of diesel demand.
Used examples were snapped up on average in 27 days (two days faster than April 2024), which is on par with petrols (26 days) and faster than EVs (30 days).
The used diesel that sold quickest last month was the Dacia Duster (five to 10-year-old examples).
Buyers on average bought one just 18 days after it was first advertised by the vendor, Auto Trader says.
Auto Trader’s data for April shows buyers are snapping up the average second-hand diesel model in27 days. The model on sale for the shortest time before a buyer is found is 5-10-year-old Dacia Dusters (pictured), which are bought on average within 18 days of being advertised
Marc Palmer, head of strategy and insights at Auto Trader said there’s ‘no sign on the diesel death rattle just yet’.
He told us: ‘There remains a segment of the market that still value diesel cars, particularly among those drivers who regularly drive long distances.
‘It’s a shrinking segment none the less as choice becomes ever more limited as manufacturers prioritise low emission vehicles.
‘Anyone hoping for a significant fall in diesel prices, however, will be disappointment.
‘As brands continue to move away from producing brand-new models, the second-hand market will be squeezed further, which as we’re already seeing on our platform, will help keep prices stable.’
The second-hand diesel cars going UP in value
To understand what direction second-hand diesel demand is going in, which contracted the help of Cap Hpi, which specialises in tracking used car values by monitoring trade sale prices.
It told us the average price of a three-year-old used diesel with 30,000 miles on the clock has fallen by just 0.6 per cent between 2024 and 2025.
To put that into perspective the same age group of petrol cars is down 0.3 per cent, while EVs have dipped by 10 per cent.
Chris Plumb, head of current car valuations told us: ‘The performance of diesel vehicles remains strong in the used market, primarily driven by the continued decline in the availability of both new and used diesel models.’
Cap Hpi’s details which specific three-year-old diesels have seen the largest inflation in price over the last 12 months.
The used diesel model to have increased in value most in the last 12 months is the Audi A8 (2017-current) executive saloon. While a 3-year-old example would have cost £31,941 in April 2024, cars that age were valued at £34,944 last month – a £2,904, or 9%, increase
Three-year-old examples of the previous-generation Honda HR-V SUV (2019-2021) has also seen a 9% spike
BMW X3 (2017-2025) diesels have seen an 8% jump in price for 3-year-old examples in the last 12 months, says Cap Hpi
Three-year-old Audi Q2 (2016-2022) diesels are up 7% YOY, meaning buyers are having to pay £1,221 more for one today than they would have done 12 months ago
| Model | Average price April 2025 | Average price April 2024 | Year-on-year movement (£) | Year-on-year movement (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audi A8 (2017- present) | £31,941 | £34,844 | £2,904 | 9.1% |
| Honda HR-V (2019-21) | £12,750 | £13,900 | £1,150 | 9.0% |
| BMW X3 (2017-24) | £28,650 | £30,973 | £2,323 | 8.1% |
| Mercedes-Benz (2018-23) | £29,413 | £31,750 | £2,338 | 8.0% |
| Audi Q2 (2016-22) | £17,925 | £19,146 | £1,221 | 7.1% |
| VW Passat (2019-24) | £17,239 | £18,250 | £1,011 | 5.9% |
| Mazda CX-5 (2017-present) | £18,331 | £19,483 | £1,152 | 5.8% |
| Seat Tarraco (2018-24) | £20,116 | £21,284 | £1,169 | 5.8% |
| Volvo S90/V90 (2016-2024) | £22,305 | £23,550 | £1,245 | 5.6% |
| Seat Ateca (2016-24) | £17,180 | £18,132 | £952 | 5.6% |
| Source: Cap Hpi based on the average price of 3-year-old cars with 30,000 miles on the clock | ||||
The biggest mover is the Audi A8 (2017-current) executive saloon. While a three-year-old example would have cost £31,941 in April 2024, last month the average value of a 36-month-old diesel A8 was £34,944 – a £2,904, or 9 per cent, increase.
And it’s not just luxury models that are in high demand.
The previous-generation Honda HR-V SUV (2019-2021) has also seen a 9 per cent spike, while BMW X3s of the same era (2017-2025) with diesel powertrains have risen by 8 per cent.
Three-year-old Audi Q2 (2016-2022) diesels are up 7 per cent, too, meaning buyers are having to pay £1,221 more for one today than they would have done 12 months ago.
‘While the industry is shifting toward electrification, there remains consumer demand for diesel vehicles, as they continue to offer attractive fuel efficiency, stronger torque for towing, and a longer driving range compared to petrol – making them a practical choice for long-distance and high-mileage drivers,’ Chris said.
