Striking: Used diesel cars are suddenly more popular than used electric cars
An interesting development in the used market: used diesel cars are suddenly in demand, while the demand for electric and hybrid used cars is falling. This is according to figures from the sales websites Gaspedal.nl and AutoTrack.
Although petrol engines are still the most searched for (57.4 percent), interest in diesel-powered used cars has not been as high since August 2022. Of those who were looking for a used car in May, almost 9 percent were looking for a diesel car. There are currently more than 46,000 diesels for sale on Gasmetaal.nl.
Used diesel vehicles are now more popular than electric vehicles
This means that used diesel vehicles are suddenly more popular than used electric vehicles, which only 8.2 percent of buyers were looking for. Electric cars are therefore disappearing from the top three in terms of popularity on the used market. Diesels are third and hybrid petrols (22.1 percent) are second, but still well below regular petrols.
| fuel type | Search rate May 2023 |
|---|---|
| petrol | 57.4% |
| hybrid gasoline | 22.1% |
| Diesel | 8.9% |
| electricity | 8.2% |
| LPG | 1.9% |
| hybrid diesel | 1.4% |
| Natural gas (CNG | 0.7% |
The growing gap between petrol and diesel prices is likely to play a role here. According to statistics from the Netherlands, at the beginning of this year you paid 1.79 euros and 1.77 euros respectively for a liter of petrol and diesel at the pump, a difference of around 2 cents. At the end of May, a liter of petrol cost an average of just under 1.82 euros, while diesel prices fell. A liter of petrol now costs more than 30 cents more than a liter of diesel. Anyone who drives many kilometers could therefore come across used cars with diesel engines more quickly.
Fuel prices will continue to rise
However, diesel prices will also rise soon. Starting next month, the government will “phase out the consumption tax cut.” After Russia found it necessary to start a war, fuel prices here skyrocketed. To help the Dutch, the government lowered excise duties on fuel. This party is over from July 1st. You pay almost 10 cents more per liter of diesel. It remains to be seen whether this will have a major impact on the used car market. Gasoline will be even more expensive with an increase of 14 cents. Therefore, used vehicles with diesel engines could become even more popular.