Emissions data drives car buyers

Emissions data drives car buyers

An increasing number of motorists are basing their vehicle purchases around CO2 emission figures, rather than the traditional values of looks, speed and miles per gallon.

The results of a new survey are showing that low CO2 emissions are being sought after not for lessening the environmental impact of a car, but rather because lower emissions mean less tax to pay.

The survey was performed on a number of car dealers nationwide. Of the dealers surveyed, over three quarters noted that they were seeing their customers having better appreciation of emissions data when looking at cars. However when dealers asked the buyers reasons for looking at CO2 emissions, 49% said it was because there are lower fuel costs involved, and 85% said it was for the lower road tax.

As far as sales are concerned, 37% of dealers are reporting that giving their customers access to emissions figures for their vehicles plays a big part in whether or not they buy a car. However, it appears that a substantial amount of dealerships are not going to the trouble of supplying CO2 certificates with their used vehicles, with 28% forgoing them entirely. This behaviour may change soon though, as over half the dealers surveyed who supply CO2 certificates say that it has increased their sales figures.

So, whereas it may look like motorists are going green, it seems to be more down to costs rather than to protect the environment.

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