Research for the Automobile Association (AA) here in the UK has shown a growing number of car buyers have yet to make up their mind what fuel their next car will use, highlighting the 'confusion' now regularly noted to just-auto by automaker insiders.
The findings were from an AA-Populus study of over 19,500 UK drivers, of whom more than a quarter (27%) said they intended to buy a car during 2018.
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A quarter of those intending to buy a car (24%) however, said they didn't know what fuel their next car would use. That compared with just 5% undecided in the same survey three years ago, and 18% last year.
Simon Benson, director of AA Cars said: "Mixed messages from the government concerning diesel emissions has led to demand for diesel cars dropping off the cliff and now there are calls for stronger measures to be put in place to reduce air pollution.
While 43% of drivers in the survey currently own a diesel, only 12% say they intend to buy one in future.
"Favour for petrol cars seems to be falling too. More than half (55%) of buyers currently own a petrol car but 40% say they will choose one this year.
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By GlobalData"Demand for hybrid or pure electric cars is booming with a quarter (24%) of drivers say their next car will be hybrid or electric."
Recent data the AA cited suggests some year-old electric and hybrid models are fetching a higher price than when they were new, even with over 10,000 miles run, as demand for eco-friendly models grows.
Benson said concerns about new technology were gradually being dashed with electric car batteries "proving to be much more long-lived than anyone expected" while newer models offered greater range on a single charge.
"Low running costs, low or zero car tax and other benefits such as congestion charge exemption, free parking for electric cars in some cities and many public chargers delivering free energy, the economic benefits as well as green credentials really stack up.
"But this trend also means that there are likely to be some great diesel offers on used car platforms.
"There is certainly still a place for diesel," Benson insisted.
"Diesel is especially suitable for drivers who frequently cover long motorway distances. Diesels are robust, reliable, long-lived and offer exceptional fuel economy while recent models boast very clean exhaust, comparable with petrol.
"That a quarter (24%) of potential buyers just don't know about what car to choose, up from 18% last year and just 5% in 2014, reflects the fast-changing car market and that many drivers are waiting to see what zero- and low-emission cars become available on the used car market over the next 12 months or so."
Growing concern for the environment was also reflected in the research.
While 85% said cost efficiency (cheap to run and own) was important to them, two-thirds (64%) said low toxic exhaust emissions such as NO2 and low CO2 (61%) were key factors for choosing their next car.
At a recent media event, a Kia Motors UK spokesman told just-auto there now was "huge confusion" amongst car buyers about diesel, and its future but noted diesels were "equal" with petrol as far as latest emissions standards were concerned (with a tougher EU standard pending) and both fuels suited different types of car buyers; hence it was Kia's intention to continue offering diesel and petrol engines.
