Motordepot, one of the UK’s biggest used car retailers, won’t be directly impacted by the new legislation, as it applies to new cars only, but the company have kick-started their own green initiative and in July began offering every used car with an annual carbon offset, making a Motordepot car a viable alternative to a new electric car. Whilst being a much more affordable alternative, Motordepot customers do not contribute to the carbon emissions which are offset by Motordepot to enable carbon neutral driving for one year or 10,000 miles. Boris Johnson’s government announced this week that it will bring forward the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 to 2030, with the policymakers in Whitehall expediting an earlier 2020 announcement which aimed for a ban by 2040. Used car sales, essentially recycled products, will not fall under the legislation, but Motordepot’s executives are confident that they are well placed already to benefit from changing attitudes to the car buying public. British consumers have already demonstrated an eagerness to make the switch to greener alternatives, with 2020 proving to be a record year for electric car sales. But it is the retailer’s innovative solution to addressing the thorny issue of combustion engines, which is being given consumers less of a carbon footprint by ensuring even petrol and diesel sales come with green credentials. The company has already offset over 14,000 tonnes of Co2 in the opening four months of a partnership with iOffset, a carbon streaming service, and is determined to continue driving conversations towards a carbon neutral future. “What we have seen in 2020 is a real sea-change in attitudes towards climate change and the initiatives and projects which help fight it,” said Motordepot Managing Director, Steve Butterley. “This week’s announcement by the Prime Minister to bring forward an already ambitious target is absolute proof that the government is committed to making the economy net zero by 2050, and the automotive industry is a key driver to achieving this and indeed supporting a post-COVID economic recovery. “We are seeing a really positive response from our customers with 83 per cent citing that knowing their emissions were offset was a significant influence on their purchase decision and encouragingly more than half telling us they would display a sticker in their car to promote their iOffset status.” While Motordepot’s eleven showrooms across England are currently closed due to government lockdown restrictions, the company are still recording impressive sales figures with Click and Collect and Home Delivery options. With every car sold seeing it’s emissions offset for the first year or 10,000 miles of ownership, the company is well on track for meeting their target of seeing 50,000 tonnes of carbon offset in the first year of their partnership with iOffset. And it is possible the green thinking could drive even more sales. “We are seeing a real response to this initiative on digital channels and the recent inclusion of iOffset within the Auto Trader search results has been really positive as we see untapped consumer demand for climate action translate into additional advert views, enquiries and ultimately year on year sales growth!” Butterley added. Through their partnership with iOffset, Motordepot helps fund some of the world’s leading high impact carbon reduction projects accredited by Gold Standard (WWF), Verra and the United Nations.