ROAD FUND LICENCE - EMISSIONS BASED VEHICLE TAX

Vehicle Road Fund Licence, or Road Tax, is now calculated according to the amount of pollutants your vehicle emits per kilometre. So it should be simple to work out, shouldn't it?

In a drive to control the level of pollution in our atmosphere, the government has for some time now rewarded cars and vans with smaller, more efficient engines with lowering taxes. All vehicles are now taxed based on the level of CO2 they emit.

In general, the vehicles that pollute less are the smaller engined ones or the electric/hybrid models. The effect of this government initiative has focused the manufacturers' efforts to produce more efficient engines which in turn pollute our environment less. The increased tax has also had a significant effect on the buying habits of motorists with many now placing low emissions at the top of their priority list when selecting a new or used car.

The rates shown below apply to tax discs taken out from 1st April 2012.

Cars registered before 1 March 2001 (based on engine size)

Private/light goods (TC11)

Engine size (cc) 12 months rate 6 months rate

Not over 1,549cc £135.00 £74.25

Over 1,549cc £220.00 £121.00

Cars registered on or after 1 March 2001 (based on fuel type and CO2 emissions)

The rates shown only apply to cars that have been type approved in category M1 and registered on the basis of CO2 emissions measured in grams per kilometre (g/km) driven. These details are shown on the registration certificate (V5C).

Vehicle tax rates for cars registered on or after 1 Mar...