Diesel car prices remain stable despite drop in demand
Though the fuel’s popularity is waning, car dealers have not been forced to heavily discount diesel cars to achieve sales
Car dealers remain confident about the future of diesel vehicles, and the prices of the vehicles remain firm.
Research by What Car? found that while discounts on diesel cars were larger than on their petrol rivals, the gap was less than a single percentage point. The average discount off a new diesel car was 7.82 per cent off list price, while for a petrol car it was 7.11 per cent.
The discounts were obtained by mystery shoppers at car dealerships. The relative lack of discounts is surprising, as a serious slump in diesel sales has hit the market – March saw a 21.4 per cent drop compared with 2018.
It suggests that manufacturers have now reduced the supply of diesel cars to reflect a drop in demand, leaving dealers with less stock in hand that needs discounting to sell.
The average discount on a diesel was £2,731, while petrol models were discounted an average of £2,101.
The smallest savings to be found were for fully electric cars. Mystery shoppers were only able to get a 2.96 per cent discount, equivalent to £746. This reflects their high desirability and extreme popularity – waiting lists for many of the longest-range models on the market stand at many months.
Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, said: “Although the slump in diesel sales has hit hard in the past 18 months, the latest figures suggest that manufacturers have now got a handle on supply and matched it to consumer demand, meaning they don’t have to discount as aggressively in order to sell stock.
“However, our mystery shoppers have discovered that there are still great savings to be made. And with the latest diesels having to hit tougher-than-ever environmental standards, they can still be a great choice for car buyers. Diesels still achieve 20% better fuel economy than their petrol counterparts, making them ideal for long distance drivers, or those who use their vehicle for towing heavy loads.”
It’s not just fuel type that determines discounts, though. Buyers looking to net the biggest discount on their next car should be looking towards the French, and specifically Citroen.
WhatCar? found that the biggest discounts – an average of 11.41 per cent – could be had on cars from the French brand. Next up was Volkswagen, with an average discount of 11.26 per cent, and Vauxhall, with 10.97 per cent.
