The Motoring World: Do you realise that the UK, from 1st April will change the taxation rates again, in favour of high polluting cars.

New VED system will net government an additional £1.4 billion over next 4 years
2017 road tax rules will add more than £500 to the long-term running costs of Britain’s most-popular and eco-friendly cars
Buyers of the most-polluting vehicles could save up to £245

The majority of new car buyers will lose out when new road tax rules come into force on 1 April, according to latest research from HonestJohn.co.uk.

The leading consumer motoring site’s figures show that new tax rules will add more than £500 to the add more than £500 of Britain’s most-popular and eco-friendly vehicles, while providing significant benefits for some of the most-polluting cars.

This means the UK’s best-selling car - the Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost 100PS - will cost £540 more to tax over four years, while buyers of the V8 Mustang stand to save £245 over the same period of time. This is despite the fact that the American muscle car emits three times more CO₂ than the efficient Fiesta.

Until now, the government has offered zero VED to entice car buyers into eco-friendly vehicles; however, with 74 per cent of new cars emitting less than 130g/km of CO₂, the government has made a U-turn on its policy and introduced rules to force buyers of new, efficient cars to pay more.

Under the current tax rules, vehicles that emit sub-99g/km qualify for zero VED for the first year and pay nothing for every year after; however, from 1 April 2017 the government will replace the current 13 band tax system with three new bands - zero, standard, premium – plus a surcharge for electric cars with a list price above £40,000.

This means all new cars bought after 1 April with sub-99g/km CO₂ emissions will pay for road tax; a move that will add up to £540 to the long-term running costs of some of Britain’s cleanest and most efficient cars. Even hybrids won’t escape, with buyers of the Toyota Prius paying an extra £405 over four years, while Tesla S buyers will have to pay an additional £930.

However, while buyers of new cars over £40,000 will be forced to pay an extra £310 a year for five years, HonestJohn.co.uk has found a gap in the tax law that allows some of the UK’s most-polluting cars under the £40,000 price limit to benefit.

Buyers of the Mitsubishi Shogun 3.2 DI-DC automatic, for example, will save £265 over four years, regardless of the fact that the SUV produces a whopping 245g/km of CO₂. It’s a similar story for the Subaru WRX and Nissan 370Z too, with both emitting over 240g/km and saving hundreds under the new system.

Honest John’s Managing Editor, Daniel Powell, said: “Many motorists are unaware of the changes that are coming for VED, but the fact of the matter is this – the system is changing, and low emissions cars won’t be as tax efficient as they were before. It’s a bit of a mixed message to increase tax on fuel efficient cars while reducing it on less eco-friendly models when the government is trying to increase the uptake of low and zero-emissions cars.”

What’s more, with buyers now rushing to secure a zero-VED car, HonestJohn.co.uk has found that buyers are being given lead times of four to five months for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volvo XC90. Buyers of the popular Fiesta face a three month wait, while Focus orders with the EcoBoost engine stipulate a wait of 3.5 months, making it increasingly difficult to get a tax-free car before the new rules come into force.

Five popular cars hit hard by 2017 VED changes over four years of ownership

1) Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost 100PS Zetec