Motorists with older, eco-friendly cars not old enough to be considered classics are being driven off the road by Ulez’s imminent expansion, while gas guzzlers of millionaires are being welcomed to London.
Despite pumping out less than a third of the C02 than the most polluting new cars on sale, drivers of older cars must pay £12.50 as they watch owners of the latest models from Rolls Royce, Ferrari and Mercedes take their unfettered access to the city.
Under the Ulez scheme, which has been described by critics as “Sadiq Khan’s money-grabbing vanity scheme,” motorists driving petrol cars that don’t at least meet the Euro IV standard must pay the controversial charge.
Diesel owners must have the latest Euro VI engines or hand in cash every day when they enter the soon-to-be-expanded zone.
The panic caused by the decision – which affects more than 700,000 cars in Greater London – has caused the price of Ulez-friendly used cars to rise.
Cars over 40 years old are exempt from the charge, although future classics face an uncertain future as the cost of running them in the capital skyrockets.
It has been found that one in three employees at Heathrow Airport use cars that do not meet Ulez standards and are feared to fall over during the summer holidays. The zone will be expanded on August 29, when many people will use the airport to return home for the start of the new school year.
Anger over the impending fare zone expansion has increased significantly, with some of the newly installed cameras designed to enforce the controversial charge being destroyed by vigilantes.
The Rolls Royce Cullinan is welcomed into the Ulez zone despite emitting 380 CO2g/km, according to Vehicle Certification Agency data
Whereas someone with a 1.2 liter turn of the century Fiat Punto would have to pay £12.50 daily even though it is much more fuel efficient and produces significantly less carbon dioxide
A new Rolls Royce Cullinan Black Badge, with its 6.75-litre petrol engine producing nearly 600 horsepower, is welcomed into Mayor Sadiq Khan’s low-emission zone – despite pumping out 380g/km of carbon dioxide.
According to data from the Vehicle Certification Agency, the Roller – which can cost you more than £500,000 – will return around 9.8 miles per gallon as you meander down King’s Road.
Meanwhile, owners of the likes of the turn-of-the-century Daihatsu Curore, Suzuki Swift and Fiat Punto – which travel between 50 and 53 miles while burning a liter of petrol – will either be scrapped or cost their owners £12.50 each. day to drive through most of the area within the M25 by car.
From 29 August, the current Ulez zone will expand from the northern and southern ring roads to the border of the M25.
For those looking for a cheap Ulez-friendly car, Autotrader has around 20 vehicles on offer within 10 miles of Trafalgar Square for £1,000 or less.
But many of them have been involved in previous accidents or are stolen recoveries. Several have serious dents in the bodywork, according to the photos, while others, the owners admit, have major mechanical problems.
One owner said his blue Peugeot 1007 had a big dent along the car’s sliding door, while it was having trouble getting into gear due to a problem with the clutch. A replacement is likely to cost at least £600 including fitting, while body repair is likely to exceed the value of the car, which is offered at £1,000. It also has warning lights on the dashboard, including one that highlights an airbag failure.
The Ulez zone will expand into much of the area within the M25 in August
In Kensington and Chelsea, the Mercedes G-Class AMG G69 with its bi-turbo 4-litre V8 engine is also not penalized in the clean air zone – despite pumping out 363 CO2/km
Any Premier League footballers handing over £500,000 for the 785bhp Ferrari 812 GTS can rest assured they won’t have to budget for the daily cost of £12.50
London Mayor Sadiq Khan claims nine out of ten cars in the expanded zone are already within strict emissions targets.
Transport for London, which is backing the scheme, said non-compliant cars not running would not have to pay the £12.50 fee.
A spokesman said: ‘Any money received from the scheme will be reinvested in running and improving London’s transport network, such as expanding bus routes in the London suburbs.’
Howard Cox, founder of FairFuelUK, believes Ulez is an attempt to take money from struggling motorists.
He told MailOnline: ‘It’s unbelievable that if you’re driving a gas-guzzling £100,000 Euro 6 car that generates more CO2 emissions than a 10-year-old diesel hatchback, you won’t have to pay ULEZ.
Sadiq Khan’s vain scheme to grab money will hit low-income motorists and small businesses the hardest. But if you’re rich, it means nothing.
“His ignorance and ego cannot get any bigger as he continues to destroy our capital for a green ideal that will never be realized.”
Mr Cox has announced that he is standing as a candidate in the next London mayoral election in May 2024.
Research by the RAC has shown that nearly 700,000 motorists could be faced with paying the tax or upgrading their vehicle to one that meets the required standard.
Ironically, this could lead some owners to buy a less fuel efficient car to stay within the rules.
The RAC submitted a Freedom of Information request requesting details of petrol cars registered before January 2006 and diesel cars registered before September 2015 that are licensed in the Greater London area.
According to the RAC’s research, there are 691,000 non-compliant cars in Greater London on 22 February 2023.
A row of supercars, photographed outside the Mayfair Hotel earlier this month, all unaffected by Ulez
Despite evading Ulez charges, some supercar owners aren’t too concerned about picking up a parking ticket while leaving their luxury motorcycles outside top hotels
This could generate more than £8.64 million in revenue per day unless the number of non-compliant cars in the capital drops dramatically.
Those ignoring the £12.50 daily tax may be fined £160 per violation.
Nicholas Lyes, RAC’s head of road policy, said: ‘Cleaning up London’s skies should undoubtedly be a priority, but the high number of vehicles failing ULEZ emission standards in Greater London suggests that there is a huge financial impact will be on motorists and businesses by paying £12.50 each day they drive in the zone.
“We urgently need more coordination between the Mayor and Government to help small businesses, traders, NHS staff and carers who have no choice but to drive from outside Greater London to the expanded ULEZ for work purposes. Consideration should also be given to those who work at night when public transport in the suburbs is severely limited.
The Daihatsu Cuore with an 850cc engine and an output of 54 hp and 127g CO2/km does not comply with Ulez
But someone sitting on one of the 350 pieces of leather sourced from Northern European bulls to create the Bentley’s lavish interior needn’t worry about the daily cost of £12.50.
“Moving to a compliant car at such short notice is simply not something many can afford, especially during a cost of living crisis and at a time when used car prices are so high .’
Several suburban London councils strongly oppose the extension of the Ulez scheme to their boroughs, with several taking legal action to block the scheme.
Tory MP Gareth Bacon raised the issue during a debate in the House of Commons last month. He said, “Sadiq Khan believes he can override the boroughs and install his hated ULEZ extension without their consent.”
Transport Secretary Mark Harper admitted that the government was effectively powerless to stop Khan and suggested that it was for London voters to pass judgment on their mayor.
He said: ‘Under Schedule 23 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999, the Mayor of London and Transport for London have the relevant statutory powers to install the infrastructure required for the expansion without the consent of the London Boroughs. That reinforces my earlier answer that the Mayor of London is responsible. If voters in London don’t like what’s going on, they have the power to take it to the polls.”
Sian Berry, a member of the Green Party London Assembly, said: ‘It is important not to confuse the issue of climate change emissions and local air pollution. Both need urgent action to save lives, and measures to clean the air in overcrowded towns and cities must be accompanied by urgent government action to stop subsidizing fossil fuels and high-carbon industries.”
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on it, we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money and use it for free. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to compromise our editorial independence.