Seven in ten motorists believe diesel was mis-sold as clean

A new opinion poll, commissioned by Slater and Gordon, has revealed that over half of British motorists believe diesel cars should be banned from some UK roads.

The law firm, which is representing 45,000 motorists in a group-action lawsuit against Volkswagen over the much publicised emissions scandal, carried out the survey to measure how motorists now see their vehicles following the 2015 ‘dieselgate’ scandal.

The poll of 2,000 drivers found that seven in 10 drivers said they believe diesel cars were ‘mis-sold’ to the UK market as ‘clean’.

29 per cent support the idea of barring the fuel type from all roads, while another 23 per cent were in support of restrictions within built-up areas and city centres. Furthermore, 79 per cent supported the idea of an exclusion zone near schools and hospitals, with more than 60 per cent expressing concern about the air their children were breathing.

Gareth Pope, head of group litigation for Slater and Gordon, which is suing VW over the emissions scandal, said: “For many motorists, getting an environmentally friendly and fuel efficient model was the number one factor for buying diesel.

“They wanted cars which were clean, green and efficient and are now starting to realise they were sold a lie and their cars don’t live up to the promise. This survey has shown that the VW emissions scandal, and revelations about what lengths the manufacturer went to cheat clean air tests, has had a hugely negative impact on the entire industry.”