The future of diesel vehicles seems to be in the balance again after an influential study suggested that sales of the engine type will fall to just 5% of the EU car market by 2030.

The AlixPartners survey suggested that with concerns over air quality and emissions standards, sales of diesels will decline rapidly over the next 12 years.

The fall in sales across the EU has already dropped significantly over the past two years, moving from 52% of the market to just 45%.

The study said that with targets for CO2 supposed to be dropping, they actually rose in 2018. "The EU fleet needs to deliver a 4.6% reduction [in CO2] per year through to 2021. However, in 2017, overall EU CO2 increased 0.3g/km,” said the report.

It’s this quandary which Governments are facing as they looks to provide cleaner and safer energy. The reduction in diesel vehicles could make it harder to meet CO2 emissions targets, particularly in the short-term if buyers opt for petrol over electric or hybrid.

Diesel was sold as the greener choice and though it does contain more carbon, overall CO2 emissions from a diesel are generally lower on average.

Diesel’s image problem comes from the fact that their engines produce higher levels of nitrogen oxides and of particulates - tiny pieces of soot that can enter the lungs. The VW scandal also hit diesel hard, when it emerged that some cars had been fitted with devices to cheat emissions tests. A final blow came when the UK government decided to place higher taxes on some diesel vehicles, a move which has impacted sales in Britain.

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