Offloading quality cars due to approaching ULEZ deadline

author: FutureCar Staff    

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 listing non-ULEZ-compliant cars on its platform has jumped to 30% of all listings in July, up from one in five in November 2022 when the expansion was announced.

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

Sally Foote, carwow's UK managing director, stated that car buyers outside major metropolitan areas are actively looking for good quality used cars that don't need to be ULEZ-compliant. She emphasized that there is still high demand for non-compliant cars in other parts of the UK, especially those with full service history photos.

Foote predicts that the trend of selling non-compliant cars will continue to gain momentum as more consumers become aware of the implications of the ULEZ changes. A recent survey conducted by carwow found that 64% of Londoners are unsure if their cars would incur charges under the new ULEZ expansion. Foote concludes that as more people realize the impending increase in ownership costs or face 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 shows that there is broad support for the zones. 40% of Londoners surveyed supported the ULEZ and other new low emission zones, compared to only 31% who opposed them. Additionally, more than half (56%) of Londoners surveyed agreed that the ULEZ expansion and other new low emission zones were effective measures.

FutureCar Staff