ULEZ deadline prompts sale of high-quality vehicles

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 uploading 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 that this increase 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 the ULEZ.

Sally Foote, carwow's UK managing director, noted that car buyers outside major metropolitan areas are particularly interested in good quality used cars that don't need to be ULEZ-compliant. She mentioned 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 this trend will continue to grow as more consumers become aware of the implications of the ULEZ changes. A survey conducted by carwow found that 64% of Londoners are unsure if their cars would incur charges under the new ULEZ expansion. As more people realize the 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 zones, while only 31% opposed them. Additionally, more than half (56%) of Londoners agreed that the ULEZ expansion and other new low emission zones were effective measures.

FutureCar Staff