Prices of used diesel cars take a 26% tumble

The announcements of the latest diesel scrappage schemes have caused the price of used diesel cars to fall by up to 26 per cent in 2016. 

Car buying comparison website Motorway.co.uk found that the average price of popular diesel models has fallen by an average of 5.7 per cent in recent months, compared with prices at the start of the year. Some equivalent petrol variants, however, have instead increased in price, as buyers turn away from ‘dirty diesels’.

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Average prices for diesel models such as the Vauxhall Corsa dropped from £2,160 to £1,592, while Audi A3 prices fell by 11.3 per cent.

Drivers have been increasingly discouraged from buying diesel engines, with ‘toxin taxes’, scrappage schemes and new scientific research into diesel’s impact on air quality making petrol a more attractive choice. 

Director of Motorway.co.uk Alex Buttle explained that the results “show clearly that used diesel car prices are only going one way – and that’s down. 

“Now that most major manufacturers have launched diesel scrappage schemes, it doesn’t look like it’s about to get any better. Diesel cars are really starting to look like white elephants.” 

On the other side, and despite the emissions ‘scandal’ that Volkswagen was caught up in last year, prices for petrol models including the Golf and Polo rose by up to 19 per cent as sellers capitalise on the favoured market. 

Buttle added: “For those purely after cheap deals, it is definitely ‘bargain bucket bonanza’ time in the used diesel market.”

What do you think the future holds for diesel cars? Would you be tempted to buy one now prices have fallen? Let us know in the comments section...