Diesel just slumped to its lowest share of used car sales

Electrified vehicle sales are booming in the used market, pushing diesel to its lowest ever share.

Data from online car marketplace BuyaCar.co.uk shows diesel took a share of just 30 per cent of the used market in August.

Diesel sales remain strongest in older vehicles, taking over 40 per cent of sales in vehicles aged five and six years old, compared with just 16 per cent of three-year-old vehicle sales.

The figures also suggest many buyers are going from diesel to electrified vehicles, with hybrid sales up 68 per cent on the same month last year and electric vehicles up 47 per cent.

Christofer Lloyd, editor of BuyaCar.co.uk, said: “One of the surprises in our figures is that more people end up buying a diesel than initially planned to.

“For example, in August the proportion of searches for a diesel car was just under 22 per cent and yet diesels formed 30 per cent of our sales.

“What is particularly interesting about this is that where consumers are able to make purchase decisions in their own time, outside of any kind of high pressure dealer sales environment, they often decide that diesel is still the best option for them.”

The used car market is mirroring trends seen in the new car market, with diesel losing market share as electrified vehicles continue to rise. However, the difference is much more drastic in the new market, suggesting used buyers are more open to driving diesels.

The latest figures from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that diesels sales in July were down almost 70 per cent on July 2020. Its market share also dropped, going from 16.5 per cent to 7.1 per cent.