Motoring.co.uk: Consumers Still Favour Diesel, Despite Volkswagen Scandal

Leading car maker, Volkswagen has been embroiled in an emissions scandal that has rocked the motoring industry. However, it seems that the consumer is still willing to choose diesel engines over petrol units.

With the scandal in full flow, Motoring.co.uk surveyed a proportion of its 1 million monthly readership. The results revealed that 61% would still choose a diesel when buying their next car. In a separate poll, 83% believe that the UK Government is too tough on diesel engines.

These findings prove that most consumers are more interested in fuel economy and price. Further evidenced by plug-in car sales rising 138.5% against the first 9 months of 2014. Despite the 'Dieselgate' saga, diesel continues as the favourite mainstream fuel source.

Further questions on the survey asked motorists whether they still trusted VW and manufacturers as a whole after the scandal. A minority of VW owners in the poll told us that they felt betrayed by the German giant. However, on the whole, the majority of those polled wanted clearer reporting from manufacturers on real-world figures.

The consensus from those surveyed, is that motorists want changes to the way the UK industry tests cars for MPG and emissions with the figures being more applicable to everyday motoring.

Terry Hogan, Co-Founder and Director said, “Our diesel versus petrol poll shows that price and miles per gallon are all important. Consumers want to purchase a fuel that suits their lifestyles and diesel for many does just that. For fleet drivers, diesel is incredibly important given the amount of miles they drive and of course with diesel cheaper than petrol at present, well, it makes a lot of sense for many.

“Our audience wants clarity, we understand that putting cars in laboratory conditions is the current test but there must be a better way. Consumers feel somewhat cheated, the closer the figures are to real world driving the happier motorists will be and manufacturers will then earn their trust back.”

- Ends –

For more information contact:

Simon McBride – simon.mcbride@motoring.co.uk 07799323932

Notes to Editors:

Motoring.co.uk is the largest independently owned automotive website in the UK and has been helping millions of motorists choose better for over 8 years.

The site currently has over registered 2 million users, growing at a rate of 100,000 new users per month. Every month around 1 million users visit Motoring.co.uk, knowing they can find open and transparent information from car owners, car dealers and manufacturers, all in one place.

Motoring.co.uk's mission is to provide users with the best tools to make motoring easier.

Motoring.co.uk's innovative personalised hub, MyMotoring, supports users throughout their entire car-owning lifecycle by sending timely reminders when things are due.

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