Consumers still favour diesel

Despite the ongoing diesel emissions scandal Volkswagen finds itself caught up in, it seems that the consumer is still willing to choose diesel engines over petrol units.

With the scandal in full flow, Motoring.co.uk surveyed a proportion of its 1 million monthly readership. The results revealed that 61% would still choose a diesel when buying their next car. In a separate poll, 83% believe that the UK Government is too tough on diesel engines.

These findings prove that most consumers are more interested in fuel economy and price. Further evidenced by plug-in car sales rising 138.5% against the first 9 months of 2014. Despite the ‘Dieselgate’ saga, diesel continues as the favourite mainstream fuel source.

Further questions on the survey asked motorists whether they still trusted VW and manufacturers as a whole after the scandal. A minority of VW owners in the poll told us that they felt betrayed by the German giant. However, on the whole, the majority of those polled wanted clearer reporting from manufacturers on real-world figures.

The consensus from those surveyed, is that motorists want changes to the way the UK industry tests cars for MPG and emissions with the figures being more applicable to everyday motoring.

Terry Hogan, co-founder and director said, ‘Our diesel versus petrol poll shows that price and miles per gallon are all important. Consumers want to purchase a fuel that suits their lifestyles and diesel for many does just that. For fleet drivers, diesel is incredibly important given the amount of miles they drive and of course with diesel cheaper than petrol at present, well, it makes a lot of sense for many.’

‘Our audience wants clarity, we understand that putting cars in laboratory conditions is the current test but there must be a better way. Consumers feel somewhat cheated, the closer the figures are to real world driving the happier motorists will be and manufacturers will then earn their trust back.’