Colleague Gert loves the diesel engine in his Renault Laguna. But in Europe, most new car buyers disagree with him. The market share of diesels fell from 25.3 to 16.5 percent in the last quarter of 2021. The number of cars sold with a diesel engine was 50.9 percent (!) lower.
The image of diesels has been badly damaged – rightly or wrongly. The Volkswagen cheating scandal has had a huge impact, but also the measures taken by European governments to discourage diesel driving. In the Netherlands you pay your blue in road tax if you have a diesel in front of the door. The lower price of the fuel makes that high tax only manageable for people who spend a lot of time on the road.
European diesel sales fall dramatically
In Europe, diesel sales are falling dramatically. Only 358,083 new diesels were sold in October, November and December 2021. A year earlier, there were 729,446. Only in Bulgaria were more diesel cars sold last quarter than a year earlier. The European market share fell from 25.3 percent to 16.5 percent.
Sales of PHEVs and electric cars soar
The frontrunner is still the petrol car, with a share of 35.8 percent in the last three months of 2021 (40.6 percent in 2020). Big increases are of course the electric models, of which 25 percent more were sold (309,598 units). In October, November and December, the market for plug-in hybrids shrank by 1.8 percent. Only they have a profit of 70.7 percent for the whole of 2021 (from 507,917 to 867,092 units). EVs went from 538,734 to 878,432 (+63 percent).
Hybrid more popular than diesel for the first time
Ordinary hybrids – ie without a plug – have a market share in the EU of 20.2 percent. In 2021 they overtook diesel cars for the first time, with total sales of 1,901,239 compared to 1,901,191. So it’s just a few dozen copies. Gas is hardly popular anymore. Last year, fewer than 60,000 Europeans bought an LPG car (+5.7 percent compared to 2020).