Scrap scheme 'a green success'

Almost 166,000 scrap scheme cars are on order or on the drives of their new owners as of today (20th August 2009), which means the scheme is now well past its halfway point - and it's proving a green success.

That's according to WhatGreenCar (www.whatgreencar.com), which has collated data on the average tailpipe emissions of cars both scrapped and bought under the scheme and found a major difference between the two. On average, the tailpipe CO₂ emissions for a scrapped car is 179g/km, whereas the average for a car bought under the scheme is just 134g/km, a difference of 45g/km.

But WhatGreenCar claims the actual difference is nearer to 70g/km per car when fuel and vehicle production emissions are taken into account, and as such has heralded the scheme an unbridled environmental success. The figures show that, despite the Government refusing to put a cap on the amount of CO₂ a car bought under the scheme could emit, people are largely trading in their bangers for small, fuel-efficient cars.

Hyundai in particular is a loud proponent of the scheme, with Managing Director Tony Whitehorn telling Yahoo! Cars that some of its dealers are selling "four times as many cars." It remains to be seen what the long-term benefits of the scrap scheme will be, but that issue is heavily contested. Some, like industry body the SMMT, claim the scheme is bringing a fresh set of customers to the new car market, whereas others believe it is simply offering buyers a 'once in a lifetime' deal and is merely a sales spike that will not ultimately stimulate the car industry once the £300m pot runs dry.

But what do you think? Have you bought a car under the scheme, or did you find you could get a better deal without it? Have your say on the forum.

Mark Nichol