Should I keep or swap my diesel car for an electric model?

The lease on my Mercedes-Benz GLC is up in a few months and I’m tempted to buy it at £23,000 with only 30,000 on the clock. Before, it would still be worth something in another three years time. But given current views of diesel, would it hold any value? Would I be better looking at a new I-Pace in the hope battery range will increase within a couple of years?

Asked on 13 March 2020 by Richard Cross

Answered by Andrew Brady

It depends what you use your car for, really. We wouldn't recommend changing your GLC for an i-Pace if you cover lots of long motorway journeys. Equally, it might be wise to change your car if you cover lots of short journeys which aren't suited to a diesel. It's difficult to say what's going to happen to residual values for diesel cars but, if anything, the drop in new diesels being bought today might mean there's more demand for second-hand examples in the future. As a compromise, we'd suggest swapping your GLC for a newer version, perhaps with a petrol engine.

Tags: diesel or electric?

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Related models

Mercedes-Benz GLC (2015 - 2021)

Excellent refinement and very composed ride quality. Quiet diesel engine. Superb cabin quality. Spacious for rear seat passengers. Capable off-road if need be.