Toyota UK sales at record high as buyers choose HYBRID cars over diesel

Toyota UK reports record sales so far in 2017, with demand for Toyota and Lexus hybrid up by almost 50% as buyers look for diesel alternatives.

Back in December, we reported Toyota’s European sales on the up as buyers look for an alternative to diesel cars, and that’s showing no sign of abating any time soon – especially in the UK.

Toyota UK are reporting March 2017 as their best ever month, with sales of 29,415 Toyota and Lexus cars, a new monthly high for Toyota in the UK, and a 40 per cent increase on 2016.

Not only have the overall sales increased substantially for Toyota, but the sales of is hybrid vehicles has increased even more, with a 47.8 per cent year on year rise.

Paul Van der Burgh, Toyota GB MD, said:

The record results we achieved in March and the strong growth evident throughout the first quarter reflect an important shift in people’s mindset.

What we are hearing from customers and from our retailers is that interest in clean powertrain technologies is increasing and that the benefits they have for air quality are becoming an increasingly important consideration when buying a vehicle.

We’ve banged on for a long time that diesels were the wrong way to go, with their high levels of NOx and particulate emissions, and Toyota has been proved right in eschewing diesels in their cars in favour of a hybrid solution.

To be truthful, we’ve never been that enthralled by Toyota’s hybrids, especially the CVT ‘boxes Toyota attaches to them, but as the technology and cars have improved we’ve had to eat our words.

With recent reviews of cars like the Lexus NX 300h, new Toyota Prius and others, we’ve discovered that Toyota hybrids really are very good cars now.

No wonder sales are on the up.