New diesel car options drop by over two-thirds since 2015, CarGurus reveals

Drivers looking to buy a new diesel car are finding far fewer options, with the number of available diesel models dropping by 68% since 2015, according to new research from CarGurus.

In 2024, only 65 diesel variants are available across the 30 most popular car makers, down from 202 models in 2015.

Half of those most popular car brands no longer offer a diesel option in their current model lineup while just 13 manufacturers now offer more than one diesel model versus 27 in 2015.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reports that diesel car registrations, which accounted for 48.5% of the market in 2015, fell to just 3.8% in 2023.This marks a drastic reduction, with only 71,501 diesel cars sold in 2023 compared to over 1.27 million in 2015 - just 5.6% of 2015’s sales.

Despite this dramatic decline, September 2024 registration data from SMMT suggests a slight resurgence in private diesel car sales, with a 17.1% increase year-over-year.

However, the long-term trend remains clear: buyers are favouring petrol and alternative fuel vehicles as a result of higher taxes, the rising cost of diesel fuel, low emission zones (ULEZ), and a growing preference for eco-friendly options.

“Despite the choice of new diesel vehicles having dwindled in recent years, for some drivers it remains the preferred fuel choice. The good news is that there is still a huge selection of diesel vehicles on the used market, including plenty that are equipped with technology to make them ULEZ compliant,” said Chris Knapman, editorial director at CarGurus.

Based on year-over-year depreciation data from CarGurus, here are some of the best value ULEZ-compliant diesels in today's market: