Driving A Pre-2005 Car In London Is About To Get Seriously Expensive

According to new figures, 1.6 million Londoners stand to be hit by £12 a day charges thanks to an Ultra Low Emissions Zone expansion

Matt Robinson

01 Feb 2018

Driving A Pre-2005 Car In London Is About To Get Seriously Expensive

Like many big cities, London isn’t exactly a car-friendly place. The capital’s motorists already face chronic traffic problems and an £11.50 a day Congestion Charge fee, with the recent £10 ‘T-Charge’ (Toxicity-Charge) introduction merely adding to the pain. And in the next few years it’s set to get worse.

Currently, the T-Charge covers all vehicles that comply with Euro III standards or earlier, but by 8 April 2019, the Ultra Low Emission Zone will be established, meaning motorbikes will need to be at least Euro 3 compliant or better, petrol cars at least Euro 4, and diesels Euro 6 or newer. Unlike T-Charge, which operates from 7am-6pm Monday to Friday, ULEZ will be a 24 hours a day, seven days a week kinda deal. If your car doesn’t comply, it’s a £12.50 fee, on top of the £11.50 Congestion Charge (which covers the same area of central London) if you travel at the ‘wrong’ time.

“Ah,” you’re probably thinking, “I’ll just avoid central London. It’s a nightmare to drive in anyway.” You’d have a point, but the current proposal is to expand the ULEZ in 2021, up to the North and South Circular roads.

This would mean driving a pre-2005 petrol car anywhere at any time in this huge area is going to cost £12. It’s worse for diesel owners - any pre-2014 model won’t be Euro 6, so it’ll be liable for the charge. So it’s not just cool, modern classics that’ll become prohibitively expensive to run in London, but hundreds of thousands of regular motors.

This week Autocar obtained new figures from the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) that point to over 1.6 million drivers being affected by the extended zone. Specifically, 782,439 diesel cars and 858,018 petrols currently in the capital fall foul of the proposed changes, far more than the 576,000 total figure which Transport For London has touted.

A public consultation on the expansion is running is running until 28 February 2018.

Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.

Comments

And that’s why I live in the USA!

chanting USA USA USA!!

The only upside of living in the US…

Here in America, driving an old car gets cheaper with age.

Thats why I have 2.

I wanna fly over so bad

Same in Bulgaria.
If it’s over 15 years old and under 100hp tax is 5-10 euro.

Absolutely right. My family has 3 classics

Yea obd1 cars dont have to pass emissions tests. Thats one reason i bought my 92 civic at first

The stupid UK, first Brexit now this.

I’ve lost faith in England. America, here I come!

Haaaaaaaaallelujah

If you do be prepared for bad and idiotic drivers.

Lol there are other countries in the world, all im seeing in the comments is Usa

You’ll wanna go to Canada

Damn it, RIP Yaris

Long story short, according to them, a 2004 Prius is more polluting than a 2010 Range Rover.

Well it actually is when you factor in making the batteries

The north and south circular proposal would never get the go ahead. It’d be ridiculous to impose what is essentially a tax on having a vehicle on such a wide scale. Hope the ever brilliant mayor plans to ban all the ancient rotting taxis from the area at the same time, or will their ancient diesel engines get a free pass?

Government cluelessness at its finest. They aren’t actually fully tackling the problem without dealing with those taxis and buses, but they’re trying to make it seem like they are by heavily taxing the easiest thing they can find.

They get a fat discount….

see, this is the kind of bs i see going on over Europe and makes me glad i live in the US, but Europe ain’t a bad place. It’s just the government rules and regulations