A SWINDON motor dealer has blamed confusion over hybrid cars and the ‘demonisation’ of diesel for putting off motorists from buying new cars.

Hyundai and Suzuki dealership Pebley Beach’s managing director Dominic Threlfall claimed the lowest number of car registrations in the UK since 2013 was partly down to people being reluctant to buy diesel vehicles.

He said: "The demonisation of diesel cars and the confusion about electric vehicles has left new car buyers unsure about their next purchase.

"The diesel market took the biggest hit, with registrations dropping by more than 21 per cent.

“What’s interesting is that we have customers expressing concern about buying another diesel car. They’re viewed as major polluters, but actually it depends what kind of driving you’re doing.

“Diesels offer far better fuel economy and emit much less carbon than petrol cars but the particulate emissions make them less attractive for city centre driving.

“Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal in 2015 did real damage to the sector. The popularity of diesel grew throughout the 2000s to account for half of the UK car market but now drivers feel betrayed and confused, and are backing away from diesel engines.”

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders released annual figures which showed a 2.4 per cent decline in new car registrations during 2019, from 2.36m units to 2.31m.

Since 2016, new car registration sales have fallen for three consecutive years.

The annual decline was driven primarily by a fall in private demand with registrations from consumers down 3.2 per cent, while the small volume business market also fell, down 34.4. Fleet registrations, meanwhile, remained broadly stable, up 0.8 per cent.

Private buyers, Mr Threlfall added, might be delaying purchases to see how the hybrid and electric markets develop, while the waiting lists for them are hitting sales figures.

He said: “Hybrid electric vehicles continue to dominate the sector, with registrations increasing 17.1 per cent to 97,850 units, while battery electric vehicle registrations experienced the biggest percentage growth, rising 144.0 per cent to 37,850 units.”