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I get the impression that buying any other car but a hybrid or electric in today's market is risky - do you agree?

I bought a 1.5 TSI VW Passat Estate GT in September and I'm very happy with the buy. I moved from a 2.0 TDI to the mid-sized petrol engine due to the overall MPG and power. This move was mainly down to reading so many damning articles on the future of diesel and living in a commuter town my previous Euro5 diesel took quite a dip in value due to the recent ULEZ (& the extension expected in 2021). However, this doesn't stop me panicking about future depreciation as clearly hybrid/electric cars are now the aim for so many car companies. I did look into hybrid and electric cars but for the Passat GTE, for instance, there was at least a £10k increase over the petrol. In 4/5 years time I dread to think what the resale value would be from the modest investment I made on the petrol Passat. By 2023 there will be more clever hybrids/electric engines available and the 2nd hand car market will have far more choice of such breeds that a normal petrol engine will have little need or use? Perhaps I am overthinking and am having some buyers remorse but I get the impression buying any other car but a hybrid or electric in today's market (new or secondhand) does leave the buyer open to some serious dips in value or at worse little chance for sale of petrol engines beyond early-mid 2020's.

Asked on 30 October 2019 by MATTHEW MARLOW

Answered by Andrew Brady
I wouldn't be too concerned. Petrols currently account for 65 per cent of all new cars registered in the UK. Hybrids account for just 4.2 per cent. While the demand for hybrid or electric cars is likely to increase, there'll still be a strong market for conventional petrol cars in four or five years.
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