CarGurus’ motoring expert and commentator Vicky Parrott has her say on the burning issues in the automotive world. This week, it's why the towing community will continue to turn to diesel for the foreseeable future…
There’s an obvious answer to the question of whether diesel is dead, and it’s a resounding ‘yes’. Sales of new diesel cars have dropped, and car makers are increasingly not bothering to even offer diesel models. It’s easy to see why, given that diesel passenger car sales fell in the UK by 13.6% in 2024 (compared with 2023), with 123,104 registrations. For context, petrol sales were also down, but only by 4.4% at over 1m cars registered, while battery EV sales rose 21.4% with nearly 382,000 cars registered.
The numbers tell us that diesel is, indeed, dead.
Yet, if you live in a rural bit of the UK, as I do, I’m not sure you’d know it. Electric car charging is a factor, although out in the countryside the percentage of homes with driveways and potential for home charging means that it’s far less of a problem than you might imagine. The real reason why diesel isn’t dead out in Britain’s green and muddy bits, is towing. If you tow horses or a caravan, electric cars are basically still a no-go.
I know, I know! I drive an EV every day, and I wouldn’t go back to anything else for my daily driver. It’s also worth pointing out that EVs are finally beginning to offer some decent towing capacities, as well as a long range: the Audi A6 e-tron, the Kia EV9, the BMW iX, the Polestar 3, the Volvo EX90… There are quite a few out there now that will tow 2.5-tonnes, although none will manage a 3.0-tonne braked trailer.
Even if 2.5 tonnes is good enough, your options are typically expensive new or new-ish SUVs, and real-world range will be heavily reduced when you’re towing. Not to mention that charging on-the-go with a trailer attached is still a chore, even though large bays that give ‘drive through’ access for towing vehicles (and disabled drivers or large commercial vehicles) are becoming more common. So, let’s be honest; EVs just aren’t ready yet if you tow regularly.
That will change very quickly, of course. When the new, towing-friendly crop of electric SUVs and hatches begin to filter down into the used market, and as accessible public charging bays become more commonplace, the cost and convenience of towing with an EV will be vastly better in just a few years. And, as if I need to remind you, electric cars have mountains of torque so are brilliant towing vehicles - were it not for those issues I’ve already touched on.
In short, if I needed to get my horse to its show, or my caravan to a holiday spot, I wouldn’t be buying an electric car just yet. Plug-in hybrid? Now, that’s potentially a great option (BMW X5 45e, anyone?), but then economy from the petrol engines found in a lot of the big, towing-friendly PHEVs can be quite poor even when you’re not towing, so factor that in.
Diesel, on the other hand, is some 25% more economical than petrol, has the torque delivery that you need when towing big loads, and you can get a reasonably-priced diesel vehicle with an industrial-spec towing capacity from countless great used car dealers around the UK.
So, is diesel dead? Well, actually no. Until the equine and caravanning communities of our country can get a used towing vehicle with a chunky trailer capacity and a low price, I can tell you – almost literally from the horse’s mouth – that diesel is very much alive and in demand. And it will be for a while yet.