Car makers are offering deals and incentives to lure drivers of older diesel models to ditch their cars in favour of cleaner alternatives writes Geraldine Herbert
So who is offering incentives?
BMW and Mercedes have announced schemes and it is likely other car makers will do the same over the next few weeks.
What is on offer?
Mercedes is offering owners of Euro 1 to Euro 4 emissions-standard diesels, irrespective of the make or model they currently own, €2,000 off a Mercedes-Benz diesel cars powered with Euro 6 emission-standard engines, as well as new Mercedes-Benz plug-in hybrids. BMW is also offering €2,000 towards any new BMW or MINI with CO2 emissions of 130g/km or less. The allowance is offered to all vehicles (from any brand) that have diesel Euro 4 engines or below.
So who can avail of these offers?
The Euro 4 standard applies to cars registered from 2006, and lasted until 2011 when it was replaced by Euro 5. That means any diesel car registered prior to 2011 is likely to qualify for the incentive allowance. Mercedes stipulate that the vehicle must have been registered in the customer’s name for at least six months and the new vehicle must be registered before 31st March 2018 whereas BMW’s offer runs until 31st December, 2017 and the car must have owned it for at least 12 months.
To check if your car is eligible simply click here
How many cars are eligible?
And according to Cartell.ie there are 474,624 diesel cars on the road that are (Euro 4) or below which would be eligible for such schemes.
What car makers are likely to introduce an incentive scheme?
Volkswagen has released details of a similar scheme in Germany, where drivers can trade in their older diesel cars and receive up to €10,000 towards the cost of a new car. Similarly it has been reported that Opel are offering up to €7000 for car owners trading in their Euro 1 to Euro 4 diesel car in Germany while Fiat-Chrysler is offering up to €6, 500 in its scheme, and applies to cars of Euro 4 standard or prior, either petrol or diesel. Ford has also announced that vehicles with Euro-1, Euro-2 or Euro-3 emission-standard engines will be entitled to a bonus of between €2,000 and €8,000 if they trade in their old cars by end of 2017.
21st August, 2017
