Devon motorists advised to act now to beat April car tax rise

Motorists considering a new car this year are being urged to act now to avoid higher Vehicle Excise Duty which is due to affect many new cars from April this year.

The advice comes from Hendy Group in Exeter which says that an alarming number of motorists visiting its dealerships are unaware of the impending changes to the road tax system.

“We operate 12 motor franchises at 25 locations and feedback from those visiting the showrooms is a good barometer of the car buying public,” said operations director Mark Busby. “We’re finding that awareness of the overhaul of the system is worryingly low. The changes were announced back in 2015 but are only coming into force this April.”

The current system of VED ranks cars on their CO2 emissions with low and zero emission cars qualifying for free car tax.

From April, the CO2 emissions are just one element of the charge with list prices also set to be a factor and there will be different charges in year one and from year two.

The first year of tax will continue to be based on the CO2 emissions but after that there will be a standard £140 cost per year to all but fully electric and hydrogen vehicles.

And if your new car’s list price is above £40,000 you will pay an additional £310 levy for the first five years – regardless of the car’s environmental credentials.

“Our advice to motorists is to buy now if you want to benefit from the current rates on low emission petrol or diesel models,’’ said Mark. “And if you have any questions about a car you are considering our staff are on hand with all the information you need to make an informed decision or take a look at our online guide http://www.hendy.co.uk/news/2017-ved-road-tax/.”