Diesel fuelled vehicles are living out its last heydays with a slight decrease in recent sales. Whether it is the greener alternatives or the hybrids that we gravitate towards, it is obvious that Australians are trying to seek cars that guzzle less fuel and release toxic carbon emissions. We look at Australia’s waning love affair with diesel power vehicles to see if it is the last days for diesel vehicles.
The quest for more eco-friendly vehicles
There are currently 18.8 million registered vehicles in Australia, which means every day when we hit the road we release carbon emissions into the air. The increasing media exposure on how car manufacturers fib about the carbon emissions that their cars produced has also caught many people’s attention. A recent survey by Roy Morgan revealed that as many as 62% of Australians would pay for a car with zero carbon emissions compared to 38% that wouldn’t. Diesel fuelled vehicles, especially those produced in the last 20 years, are more toxic than petrol fuelled cars.
Diesel fuel sales hurt, but not defeated
Although the popularity of diesel fuelled vehicles has experienced a slight drop of 45%, which is down from 50% from two years ago, it is still being bought in steady numbers. The Australian Bureau of Statistics backs the fact that diesel fuelled vehicles are not the king of the pumps with it making 22.2% of the national fleet, while petrol reigns ahead with 75.7%.
Diesel vehicle drivers reside in the city and are mostly male
When it boils down to who is most likely to use a diesel fuelled vehicle, Roy Morgan found that 1.13 million (50.5%) reside in capital cities with the majority of drivers being male at 66.7%. Most drivers choose their vehicles based on their occupation, which influences what type of fuel they fill up on. The increase of SUV’s for the modern family in the city has also kept diesel fuelled vehicles sales steady. Despite the waning sales, it shows that diesel fuelled vehicles are not completely out of business.
What to choose for your next car selection
If you are currently on the car market in search of a car that will give you more bang for your buck and appease your environmental friendly side, it is best to look at the vehicles carbon emissions. Redbook data further revealed that petrol cars are most likely to hold their value the longest when compared to diesel.