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High polluting cars face £25 congestion charge

Owners of cars emitting more than 226g/km of carbon dioxide will have to pay the £25 charge – up from the current £8 per day levy

12 February 2008

by Adrian Hearn

The highest polluting vehicles will have to pay £25 to enter London's congestion charge zone from October, Mayor Ken Livingstone has announced.

But the cleanest cars will receive a 100 per cent discount from the congestion charge as part of the scheme.

Owners of cars emitting more than 226g/km of carbon dioxide will have to pay the £25 charge – up from the current £8 per day levy.

Motorists who continue to drive their high emitting motors into the congestion charging zone each day will end up paying £6,500 a year for the privilege – an increase of £4,420.

Cars which fall under this bracket include the Range Rover, BMW 730i, Porsche Cayenne and Mercedes S280.

However cars which emit less than 120g/km will be exempt from the charge.

Cars which will become exempt from the congestion charge include the entry-level Fiat 500, Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion, Seat Leon Ecomotive and Mini Cooper Diesel.

And cars such as the Lexus RX400h 4x4, which emits 190g/km and manages 31mpg in an urban environment will be also be excluded thanks to their hybrid technology.

Motorists who own or buy a hybrid which exceeds 120g/km before October 27 will be exempt from the charge until January 2010, but hybrid cars bought after this date will not not be entitled to the discount.

Of cars currently being driven in the congestion charging zone 17 per cent would be liable for the £25 charge and just 2 per cent for the total discount.

Mr Livingstone said: "Nobody needs to damage the environment by driving a gas-guzzling Chelsea tractor in central London. The CO2 emissions from the most high-powered 4x4s and sports cars can be up to four times as great as the least polluting cars.

"The CO2 charge will encourage people to switch to cleaner vehicles or public transport and ensure those who choose to carry on driving the most polluting vehicles help pay for the environmental damage they cause.

"This is the 'polluter pays' principle. At the same time, the 100 per cent discount for the lowest CO2 emitting vehicles will give drivers an incentive to use the least polluting cars available."

The London congestion charge was introduced in February 2003 with motorists paying £5 to drive into certain parts of London.

In July 2005, Transport for London increased the charge to £8 and, last year, the zone was extended to include most parts of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for our comprehensive guide of the cars exempt from October’s congestion charge review.

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