Ford offers both diesel and petrol scrappage scheme in the UK

22 August 2017

Ford has become the latest vehicle manufacturer to offer a scrappage scheme in the UK, following the likes of BMW and Volkswagen (VW) in offering drivers the opportunity to save on their new vehicle by trading in their old one for scrap. With the largest fleet in the UK, this could have a significant benefit for drivers and air quality levels in the country.

However, unlike its scrappage plan in Germany, which followed the country’s government led diesel forum, for the UK market the company will take both petrol and diesel vehicles. These have to be pre-Euro 5 vehicles registered by 31 December 2009, with customers being offered £2,000 (€2,181) against a new Ford vehicle.  

However, the manufacturer does not yet offer a pure electric vehicle (EV) in the country, and the scrappage scheme does not include the company’s Mondeo model, the only vehicle the company offers with a hybrid option. Furthermore, the Focus EV is expected to launch in the UK during 2018, while the scrappage deals only run until 31 December 2017, meaning drivers will simply be trading in for a new petrol or diesel. 

′Ford shares society’s concerns over air quality’, said Andy Barratt, Chairman and MD of Ford of Britain. ′Removing generations of the most polluting vehicles will have the most immediate positive effect on air quality, and this Ford scrappage scheme aims to do just that. 

′We don’t believe incentivising sales of new cars goes far enough and we will ensure that all trade-in vehicles are scrapped. Acting together we can take hundreds of thousands of the dirtiest cars off our roads and out of our cities.’ 

According to data from Carbon Brief, the latest Euro 6 standard″¯and new vehicle technologies mean today’s cars produce far lower emissions than previous generations: 

• carbon monoxide (CO): petrol down 63%; diesel down 82% since 1993 

• hydrocarbons (HC): petrol down 50% since 2001 

• nitrogen oxides (NOx): down 84% since 2001 

• particulate matter (PM): diesel down 96% since 1993 

According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) there are around 19.3 million pre-Euro 5 vehicles on the road in the UK. Therefore, Ford believes it will be aiding the reduction of that number, which, together with other scrappage schemes from other manufacturers, could have the effect of reducing CO2 by 15 million tons per year. 

Another key point of Ford’s UK scheme is that it includes commercial vehicles, a welcome measure which some of the most polluting vans in the country could also make their way to a scrap yard, being replaced with cleaner vehicles which often cover many more miles than general vehicles. 

Ford is a market leader in Britain, so the announcement of its scheme could have the biggest impact on the market at present. In addition, the UK has the largest diesel fleet overall in Europe. The company states that together with current offers, drivers could save up to £4,950 (€5,400) on a Focus and up to £7,000 (€7,635) on a new Transit. 

The announcement of the scrappage scheme could be seen as a response to the banning of petrol and diesel sales in the UK by 2040, leaving only hybrid and electric new vehicles on dealership forecourts. However, all schemes announced in the country so far, with the exception of BMW’s, do not include trading in on EVs, while Ford’s is the first to include petrol-powered cars as scrappage. Instead, the schemes are an answer to the findings of the diesel forum in Germany, where BMW, VW and Daimler agreed a recall of Euro 5 and 6 vehicles for new software updates to reduce their emissions, and the scrapping and trade-in offers for Euro 4 and below. 

Ford has also launched a scrappage scheme in Germany, in response to those launched by German manufacturers, as well as French company Renault, plus Opel, Nissan and Fiat.  

Discussing the news and the implication of the UK Government’s Clean Air Strategy, which made the call for the sales ban, Sue Robinson, director of the National Franchised Dealer Association (NFDA) commented: ′We welcome the decision by Ford to launch an incentive for UK consumers to trade in cars over seven years old. We believe that motorists who had previously purchased high emission vehicles must not be penalised by the Clean Air Strategy. We call for a consistent and well thought-through approach by the UK Government to ensure consumers and businesses are able to cope with the transition.’ 

The scrappage schemes in the UK could also offer a boost to a flagging new car market in the country, which saw a 9% drop in sales, year-on-year, in July 2017.

Photograph courtesy of Ford