Nearly 2,000 vehicles have been registered to travel congestion-charge free since changes to London’s congestion levy were introduced in January.
In total, 1678 vehicles are now registered under the new ‘Greener Vehicle Discount’ scheme which permits all vehicles with emissions under 100g/km CO2 and Euro 5 compliant to travel through central London without incurring the capital’s congestion charge. The new registrations are likely to be mainly owners of low emission diesel cars, which have newly qualified for the right to avoid the £10 a day charge (or £9 charge if paid using Auto Pay).
While the old exemption system for ‘green cars’, called the ‘Alternative Fuel Discount’ is now closed for new registrations, there are 28,000 vehicles still listed under it. These vehicles and their owners will continue to be able to qualify for exemption from the charge for the next two years before they need to be registered under the new Greener Vehicle Discount or begin paying the congestion charge.
The old exemption rules granted all ‘alternative fuel vehicles’ including hybrids, LPG and natural gas vehicles instant exclusion from the charge regardless of emission levels. Critics of the old scheme complained that this was unfair as some hybrid vehicles had higher CO2 emission levels than equivalent diesel models.
The changes to the exemptions came into place on January 4, 2011, along with an increase in the charge-rate for those needing to pay the charge and a new Auto-Pay system, designed to make paying the levy easier.
It is expected that the new exemption rules will lead to a rise in the number of vehicles able to travel through the capital without paying the charge as a wider number of makes and models now meet the requirements. Diesels cars are hugely popular in the UK, on average, making up around half of all new cars sold each month. Their appeal lies in their strong economy, often emitting less CO2 emissions than petrol versions.
