Former England football captain Wayne Rooney has been banned for driving for two years after being caught at nearly three times over the legal alcohol limit.
This has led to the Everton FC star – who described his actions as a ‘lack of judgement’ – returning his BMW i8 hybrid supercar to his local dealer and asking them to sell it on his behalf. It’s believed that the i8 could be one of a number of cars being sold by Rooney following his driving ban.
| Auto Trader’s most popular hybrid cars (December 2017) |
| Toyota Auris Hybrid |
| Mercedes-Benz E-Class |
| Toyota Prius |
| Mitsubishi Outlander |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class |
| Toyota Yaris Hybrid |
| Lexus IS300h |
| BMW 3 Series |
| Lexus CT200h |
| Toyota RAV4 Hybrid |
The silver BMW i8 is listed on Auto Trader for £64,995 at a BMW dealership in Blackpool. It’s showing less than 8,000 miles on the clock, meaning Rooney’s averaged less than 3,000 miles a year since it was bought new in 2015.
“It’s refreshing to see a footballer driving a hybrid, rather than a Chelsea tractor or gas-guzzling supercar, and even more so to see a footballer’s car in a sober colour,” said Auto Trader’s editorial director, Erin Baker.
“The trend with more premiership stars plugging-in also reflects the wider UK car market. On Auto Trader’s marketplace in December searches for electric vehicles increased by 56 percent year-on-year – with hybrid vehicles also showing a substantial 50 percent rise from buyers exploring newer fuel types.”
The BMW i8 – which will have cost around £112,000 when new – combines a downsized turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors. It can hit 62mph in 4.4 seconds
Leicester City FC made the news in 2016 when its chairman famously bought its championship-winning team their own fleet of BMW i8s.