Driving people to offload quality old cars

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【Summary】Londoners are rushing to sell their non-compliant vehicles ahead of the expansion of London's Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) on August 29. Data from carwow shows a significant increase in the number of non-ULEZ-compliant cars listed on their platform. A recent poll revealed that 27% of carwow users were selling their cars specifically due to ULEZ. There is still high demand for good-condition cars in other parts of the UK where these schemes are not implemented.

FutureCar Staff Aug 16, 2023 6:33 AM PT

Driving people to offload quality old cars

London motorists are rushing to sell their non-compliant vehicles ahead of the expansion of London's Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) on August 29. According to new data from carwow, the number of Londoners uploading non-ULEZ-compliant cars on its platform has increased to 30% of all listings in July, up from 20% in November 2022 when the ULEZ expansion was announced.

carwow, an online marketplace, believes this surge in listings indicates a rush to sell non-compliant vehicles before the deadline. A recent poll conducted by carwow revealed that 27% of its users were selling their cars specifically due to ULEZ.

Sally Foote, carwow's UK managing director, explained that car buyers outside major metropolitan areas, where the ULEZ scheme is less likely to be implemented, are actively seeking good quality used cars that do not need to be ULEZ-compliant. Foote also mentioned that there is still high demand for non-compliant cars in other parts of the UK, especially those with full service history photos.

However, Foote believes that the trend of selling non-compliant cars will accelerate as more consumers become aware of the implications of the ULEZ changes. She stated that many drivers are currently confused about whether their cars would incur charges under the new ULEZ expansion. As more people realize the increase in ownership costs or are hit with fines from September onwards, there is likely to be a shift in supply and demand for affected cars across the capital.

Despite the confusion surrounding the ULEZ scheme, carwow's research found that 40% of Londoners support the zones, while only 31% oppose them. More than half of the Londoners surveyed (56%) agreed that the ULEZ expansion and other new low emission zones were effective measures.