Introduction
Diesel motorists now pay the same in road tax as their counterparts who driving the petrol alternatives. Taking this into account as well as the amount of emissions that diesel vehicles give off and the lower residual values from finance agreements could mean that owning a diesel vehicle can cost the UK motorist more in the long run than petrol cars!
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Diesel vehicles tend to cost more to buy than the equivalent petrol car, but the benefits of owning a diesel normally out weighed the additional costs.
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Since the change in tariffs, diesel owners now pay more in road tax than petrol owners, meaning the only savings they get come from the fuel economy.
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Diesel cars are in the limelight for the emissions they give off, but tests reveal that some diesel cars actually give off less NOx than petrol vehicles.
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New MOT rules state that if there is smoke coming from a diesel vehicle that has a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), or if the DPF has been tampered with it will automatically fail its MOT. Replacing DPF filters on Diesel vehicles can be costly and generally aren't covered under the manufacturer's warranty.
Is Diesel Dirtier Than Petrol?
Typically, yes. Diesel cars, on average, produce a lot more NOx than petrol cars. NOx (oxides of nitrogen), is comprised of NO (Nitrogen Oxide) and NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide).
NOx is harmful and has been linked to tens of thousands of premature deaths around the world. It comes out of all cars with a combustion engine (so diesel, petrol and hybrid cars).
In latest tests, despite diesel becoming generally cleaner in recent years, diesel engines still produce an average of 11.5 times the amount of NOx compared with petrol cars. However, in recent tests they have found a diesel car that actually produces less NOx than the average petrol car.
Will Diesel Vehicle Be Removed Altogether?
Not only will diesel vehicles be removed from sale, but petrol engines are set to be banned by 2040, this was introduced as part of the UK Governments Air Quality Plan.
There will still be the sale of hybrid and fully electric vehicles after 2040.
The plans set out by the UK Government require local councils to make changes to reduce the amount of emissions in their local area by encouraging the purchase of fully electric vehicles. Other adjustments include changes to road layouts to reduce congestion and higher air pollution points. The UK Government are also encouraging more people to use public transport and due to this, require public transport to lower their emissions.
If local councils can’t make these changes to reduce emissions than restrictions will comes into place, for example charging zones, stopping vehicles using certain roads at certain times.
A number of cities in the UK and the rest of the world have committed to removing diesel vehicles from them by 2025.