Low emission zones are now being considered and implemented up and down the country. With climate change now at the forefront of the national debate, it seems like low emission zones will become the norm. There are now low emission zones (LEZ’s) in London and Norwich. As well as European cities such as Paris, Antwerp and Amsterdam.
But fear not, these charges are avoidable! You just have to be smart when it comes to your vehicle choice. We’ll explain all you need to know about the latest zones and how you can avoid being hit by these new charges.
Whilst there has been an emissions zone for certain commercial vehicles in London since 2008, the new ultra-low zone hits far more vehicles. The ultra-low zone uses ‘euro standard’ vehicle emissions rates to categorise vehicles. Those that don’t meet the standards are charged. For cars and vans this charge is £12.50 a day.
The minimum emissions standard for these vehicles are as follows:
Petrol – Euro 4
Diesel – Euro 6
If you’re only visiting London every now and again, £12.50 isn’t the end of the world. For those that live in London however, and especially businesses who need to operate within this zone. These extra charges can be significant!
Many other zones are being implemented across the UK. Leeds has agreed on an emissions zone which remit extends to lorries, coaches and taxis. Cities such as Leeds and Norwich have only decided to punish polluting buses. Other than London, it seems that cities are only pushing charges onto commercial vehicles and not the general public. However, with charges being looked at in a number of cities including Sheffield, should you be worried about extra charges being put on cars? We think so.
The climate change activists seem to show no sign of letting up. Global movements are putting increasing pressure on governments, companies and the individual to be eco-conscious. We only see the restrictions getting tighter.
Recently there’s been a huge surge of eco vehicles being released from the manufacturers. We can source all of them! The technology has improved drastically over recent years and we’d even recommend going fully electric to a lot of customers.
There are a few questions you need to ask yourself before making the change…
1) Can you charge your car at home?
2) Are your regularly doing journeys of over 150 miles?
3) Can you charge up at work?
4) Do you need to tow with your vehicle?
If you’re not sure whether you could take the leap to fully electric, don’t worry! Hybrids and plug-ins are taking the market by storm! A great, meet in the middle option and an easy way to avoid impending low emissions zone charges.
