Motoring News: Drivers worried as diesel sales collapse

CAR owners are still nervous in the aftermath of the emissions scandal. Governments in the UK and around the world are ratcheting up the anti-diesel rhetoric and diesel car tax regimes are looking less favourably on cars drinking from the black fuel pump. Since April 2018, Brits first-year vehicle excise duty (VED, or car tax) has jumped one band for diesels.

As a result, motorists are facing rising tax costs and the spectre of lower residual values. But what should you do? Should you consider selling your diesel car now, before values collapse? Or is this all a storm in a teacup?

Nobody is expecting diesel to be banned outright, although some urban centres are likely to outlaw the dirtiest models. From April 2019, London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) started charging diesels that don’t meet Euro 6 regulations an extra £12.50 a day, for instance.

As a fuel, diesel’s been around for more a century and the good news is that modern diesel engines, those meeting Euro 6 emissions regulations are impressively clean, with sufficient exhaust after-treatment built-in. Technology such as AdBlue and diesel particulate filters (DPF) are designed to filter out the soot particulates and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions that have been linked to ill health.

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Damon Mitchell

From the interviewed to the interviewer

As frontman of a rock band Damon used to court the British press, now he lives the quiet life in Spain and seeks to get to the heart of the community, scoring exclusive interviews with ex-pats about their successes and struggles during their new life in the sun.

Originally from Scotland but based on the coast for the last three years, Damon strives to bring the most heartfelt news stories from the spanish costas to the Euro Weekly News.

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