lovegroova

True, but it would have the side effect of manufacturers producing lighter cars, which would reduce emissions...

As I say, increasing fuel duty and reducing/removing road tax is probably the best way to reduce pollution - see what happened when fuel prices suddenly rose to £1.20/l - journeys were reduced a decent amount.

The trouble is that people soon get used to the increased prices and return to using their cars as they were before. Lots of small incremental rises have little effect.

Taxing by Weight might mean that a significant number of people might choose a "soft roader" or regular estate car instead of a big 4x4. it's certainly fairer than the current system of taxing by C02/km figures.

Nick Graves

It might also curb this stupid trend for ever-bigger armoured personnel carriers instead of cars that we used to enjoy driving. When a Mini's bigger than a Maxi...

Of course, in the meantime, I'd recommend everyone go buy a Lexus Hybrid SUV and flicks a V at the politiciunts! And drive round with an empty roof rack on it...

echo66

Buy a 2nd hand 4x4 as a commercial vehicle & avoid the high VED. I pay £185 for 12mnths on a Navara. It was registered as a commercial vehicle & stays as such. Broon can blow me for anymore wonga.

GarethB

4x4s per se are not taxed.

What people / the govt object to is "chelsea tractors" not 4x4s being used as intended as per the OP. What irritates even a confirmed petrol head like myself is small city roads clogged up by X5s when the closest they get to mud is the carpark near where the kids play football.

As has been stated road tax is not on a type of car it's on emissions but as has also been stated it misses the point. Before the current banding came in I was charged the same as my mum for car tax even though I did 8x the mileage!

The only sensible option is to drop road tax and charge more for petrol, then tax is in direct proportion to both distance driven and economy of the car.

MarkB

The term 'road tax' is a misnomer anyway since the amount of 'road' tax' actually spent on the roads is miniscule anyway, which will be immediately apparent once all the snow clears and we see what a dreadful state the roads are in after years of bodging.

If the money collected in road tax was actually spent on the roads, we'd have had heated roads for years now and all this 4x4 in the snow business would have been redundant

Polemicist

Which people 'object' to Chelsea tractors?

I'm guessing those people that object are predominantly the chippy, impecunious type.

Had I the disposable income I'd be thrilled to be the owner of a Range Rover TDV8.

lovegroova

They are a perceived as a particular problem in London and the South East in general.

The roads are overcrowded to start with, and lots of them seem to be driven by people with no spatial awareness and who struggle to manouevre them properly.

Then you have the aggressive types driving in a very intimidating manner, made worse by the size and lack of manoueverability.

These behaviours are no differnt to those displayed by other drivers, but they are worsened by the dimensions of the vehicles, especially the very big versions (Q7, X5 etc)

gaddafi

exactly

lower

you really don't need a 4x4 to cope with the snow. A normal car with proper snow tyres is more than adequate. As the French, Scandinavians etc prove winter after winter.

gaddafi

I agree with you

But you don't need ABS or half the other FREDS either

The UK population is a sucker for technology