Stop expanding the ULEZ to all the London boroughs in 2023

[ALFAitalia]

They should have bought petrol.....only a matter of time before Euro 6 diesels are no longer acceptable.....and the new cars they have bought will probably have Adblue for more expense and problems. My current car will certainly be my last derv.

 

[Darrell]

They should have bought petrol.....only a matter of time before Euro 6 diesels are no longer acceptable..

I thought the govt were promoting diesels a few years back.

 

[markjay]

I thought the govt were promoting diesels a few years back.

True, basing the BIK on C02 emissions massively favoured Diesel cars at the time, and many business users leased Diesel cars for this very reason. It also meant the the VED for Diesel cars was cheaper than for similar-sized petrol cars, and it still is.

But this was over 10 years ago, and it's unlikely that any of the original business users still have the cars that was supplied to them at the time when the BIK tax incentives were in force.

The vast majority of current pre-2015 Diesel cars owners will have bought the car long after the BIK tax incentives no longer applied, and most likely did so because of the (mis)conception that Diesel cars are 'cheap to run'.

However, there's a valid argument here regarding the availability of pre-2015 petrol cars on the second hand market, because the majority of vehicles from that era will be ex-lease Diesel cars, and so some people may have bought a second hand Diesel car simply because there were more to choose from. This is probably where where the government 'liabilty' ends.

 

[Darrell]

True,

Thanks.

 

[W1ghty]

I still reckon it won’t happen

 

[Darrell]

..only a matter of time before Euro 6 diesels are no longer acceptable.....

So Euro 6 diesels aren’t a danger to our health at the moment but soon it won’t be?

 

[Darrell]

I think it will. Sadly.

 

[ALFAitalia]

So Euro 6 diesels aren’t a danger to our health at the moment but soon it won’t be?

You are applying logical thought...Kahn and the ULEZ don't work like that! They have already said that standards will tighten over time until only EVs with be charge exempt.

 

[Darrell]

You are applying logical thought...Kahn and the ULEZ don't work like that! They have already said that standards will tighten over time until only EVs with be charge exempt.

Until somebody realises that the pot is empty so they’ll say that EVs are bad for the health.

 

[ALFAitalia]

........and most likely did so because of the (mis)conception that Diesel cars are 'cheap to run'.

To be fair both of my dervs were/are much cheaper to run than my previous petrols. Near double the mpg....cheaper servicing...no plugs etc (even allowing for my Jeep having a slightly shorter OCI).
And with less electronic emissions control and no Adblue there was rather less to go wrong.

 

[markjay]

To be fair both of my dervs were/are much cheaper to run than my previous petrols. Near double the mpg....cheaper servicing...no plugs etc (even allowing for my Jeep having a slightly shorter OCI).
And with less electronic emissions control and no Adblue there was rather less to go wrong.

But then Diesel oil is more expensive than petrol, and even on EU5 Diesel engines there are two big potential cost items, the high pressure fuel delivery system (fuel pump and injectors) and PDF.

 

[ALFAitalia]

Mine is Euro 5.....the oil (5 w 30 C2) is no more expensive than the oil for the wife's A Class. I'm an ex mechanic so do everything, except paint and tyre balancing, myself.

 

[Darrell]

I got the vibe that newer diesels weren’t cheap to work on and that the DPF caused problems.

I had a few Escort vans in the mid 80s and early 90’s and they were just horrible noisy engines.

And regarding diesel cars the frugality in MPH was always going to be offset by expensive running costs.

 

[ALFAitalia]

Only modern ones....older ones area cheaper to run overall....which was the whole point of course!

 

[Darrell]

Only modern ones....older ones area cheaper to run overall....which was the whole point of course!

OK. This is what I’ve figured out.

My 2004 Porsche (petrol) is hundreds to tax but it’s ULEZ compliant.

My mates 2011 Audi A6 (diesel) is as cheap as chips to tax but it’s not ULEZ compliant.

And this is because the Audi diesel puts out less CO2 than the Porsche?

 

[ALFAitalia]

Yep....

 

[Darrell]

Yep....

Can anyone spot the irony here?

 

[Bellow]

Can anyone spot the irony here?

It isn't irony it's the nature of engines. Low CO2 emissions (ie, good fuel efficiency) and low NOx are mutually exclusive. It's just how it is. The laws of physics make it so.

 

[Darrell]

It isn't irony it's the nature of engines. Low CO2 emissions (ie, good fuel efficiency) and low NOx are mutually exclusive. It's just how it is. The laws of physics make it so.

I think there are big surprises on the horizon from our esteemed mayor.

 

[Will]

VED was based on CO2 for quite a long time, it was previously on engine capacity (cc) for older cars. Now they’ve started charging more for cars based on their value.

In essence, VED is not a tax designed to improved air quality for health purposes. It’s a tax to charge people for car ownership and is sort of means tested - if you can afford a gas guzzler or a premium vehicle new then you can afford to contribute more; that’s the logic I think.

I’d rather they did away with VED and just put another 20p a litre tax on fuel or whatever. Charge people more the amount they actually pollute (and how much CO2 they produce), whereas the current system doesn’t really do that when it’s a standing charge whether you drive much or not. It seems odd to tax each and every owner, every year, based on the amount of CO2 something produces in theory when it might not ever get driven?

Just my own opinion of course!