SCOTTISH motorists are turning in increasing numbers to all-electric and hybrid vehicles as uncertainty reigns over the future of petrol and diesel cars that are due to be banned from 2040.
Electrical charging ports are installed in some of the big cities
Latest official figures show a 64.9 per cent surge across the UK in new registrations of Alternatively Fuelled Vehicles (AFVs) to the end of last month – when the Government announced the policy – as drivers invest in the latest environmentally friendly technology.
There were 437 sales of either all-electric, hybrid or plug-in vehicles last month, compared to just 193 in the same month of 2016 north of the Border – with 3,684 new registrations of such models so far in 2017. Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA).
The vehicles now account for a record 5.5 per cent of the British new car market share with 70,000 registered already this year.
Diesel model sales are continuing to plummet amid uncertainty over possible higher taxes, or even bans on them being allowed into big towns and cities, because of the health impact, particularly on young children, of the nitrogen oxide (NO2) gases they give off.
New diesel car registrations fell by 20 per cent, and by three per cent for petrol models, across the UK in July, according to figures from the The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) .
In Scotland, sales of diesel cars were just 4,440 last month, down by 1,214 on the same month in 2016, with petrol sales down by 744 compared to July last year, said the SMTA.
Sandy Burgess, SMTA chief executive, who said uncertainty over the Government’s Brexit plans was also weighing on drivers’ minds, urged the Government to provide “clarity” over its plans for diesel and petrol cars.
Garage forecourts are struggling to shift diesel models, despite the fact the latest models are equipped with cleaner, more efficient ‘Euro 6’ engines,= Mr Burgess said:
“We are experiencing a drop-off in consumer and business confidence and there is no doubt this is having a knock-on effect on demand in the new car market.
“Our Government must act quickly to clarify the position on the use of our current vehicles and, of course, share its intentions on Brexit.”
Read more: The Herald