ULEZ U-turn

[dudload]

Hi All,

Saw an article in This is Money this am talking about how the new ULEZ (coming in April next year!) will clobber classic car owners. Strange, I thought, as I've previously read in many places that historic vehicles had been exempted from the scheme. I went on to check my licence plate in the compliance checker, and there it was, I'm eligible (despite having previously used the tool and being exempted).

Did anyone know about this, or are they rolling it out in a stealth move??!

Jonathan

[BrianHawley]

I guess we can always go electric

[geoberni]

dont panic red.JPG (43.06 KiB) Viewed 1763 times

Yes, your car registration if put into the Checker will tell you that your car fails to meet the requirement.... Not exactly a shock that really as it was build so long ago....

Now it you can just breath slowly into a brown paper bag for a few breadths, try looking slightly further down the page where it says

Your options

You have the following options:

Avoid driving by walking, cycling or using public transport. Plan your journey
Upgrade your vehicle to meet the required ULEZ standards
Pay the daily charge
If you are a car driver you can join a car club and rent a vehicle that is not subject to the ULEZ. Find out about Car Clubs
You may be eligible for an exemption or discount. These are detailed further down this page
Fitting emissions reduction technology. Find out more about vehicle retrofitting in the Complying with ULEZ page

if you them follow another hyperlink or two, you will find the following information:

Historic vehicles

You can apply to stop paying vehicle tax if your vehicle was built before 1 January 1978. This date moves forward on a 40-year rolling system. Assuming the rules stay the same, when the ULEZ launches in April 2019, vehicles built before 1979 will be eligible to apply for historic vehicle tax class.

All vehicles that have a historic vehicle tax class will be exempt from the ULEZ. This tax class excludes any vehicle used commercially (for example, coffee vans or street food vans).

In line with the existing LEZ discount all vehicles registered before 1 January 1973 will be exempt from the ULEZ, regardless of commercial use or otherwise.

If your vehicle meets the above criteria and is registered in the UK, it is automatically exempt and you don't need to register with us. If your vehicle meets the above criteria but is registered outside the UK, you are also exempt, but will need to register with us. Details on how you can register will be available closer to the time.

And breath......


I just read the article you spoke of (I'm assuming here) : http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars ... icles.html

The author is speaking of his own 'Classic' ....

It is also a huge headache for those of us who live in London and own a classic car.

My little Peugeot 205 GTI does less than 3,000 miles a year, mainly outside London. In a short period of time, I will have to pay £12.50 if it is driven day or night, 365 days a year. Even if I only drove it once a week, that would be £650.

For crying out loud, the 206 was build between 1983 to 1998, it's not a flipping 'Classic' in most people's books, just old (ish).

Certainly the caption to their photo of a Merc is 100% incorrect.

Own a classic car like this 1968 Mercedes 280SL and live within the ultra-low emissions zone and you will have to pay £12.50 if you drive it at any time, of any day of the year

[dudload]

Hahaha, paper bag now in the bin! Interesting though, as on the LEZ checker it shows that my car is exempt. Weird that it doesn't automatically calculate on the ulez one too....

[les]

Just entered my van and pickup reg number, apparently not exempt. Yet in the text that is written on the site, regarding historic, it seems they would be exempt.

[dudload]

yes, quite strange as I'm 90% sure I've previously done the ULEZ check and it said exempt. I just hope this won't be slowly eroded and the small print removed - makes the weekly spin to make sure parts get a workout quite expensive if so!

[geoberni]

Guys, the Checker is only a confirmation of whether your car meets the required standards for 'Passing', which rules out pretty much every Diesel pre 2016 and every petrol pre 2006.
For Vintage owners, it is clearly stated that

All vehicles that have a historic vehicle tax class will be exempt from the ULEZ.
In line with the existing LEZ discount all vehicles registered before 1 January 1973 will be exempt from the ULEZ, regardless of commercial use or otherwise.

I would rather rely on the 'small print' than some automated 'Checker'. All the major websites offering tyres or factor parts don't even recognise my Moggie registration if I type it in their checker.

[les]

Yes, I take your point. The paragraph you state is specific.