Road tax (ved)

[kpsmith 67]

Hi all just watched a TV programme on YouTube about an article in the guardian that Rachel thives is going to put a road tax levy on suv's weighing over 1600kg the mg s5 is 1680 kg for long range and 1635 kg for standard range
This will do more harm to new car sales which is struggling already

 

[PeterHR2]

This is not strictly true. My understanding is she has been lobbied by the Transport & Environment group to levy £10/kg tax for vehicles above a threshold of 1600 kg but with a rider there'd be a 400 kg allowance for fully electric vehicles. So EVs under 2000 kg wouldn't be affected. However, she may of course decide to go further in her attempt to somehow raise another £20b or so in tax and duty.

 

[kpsmith 67]

I hope your right !!

 

[PeterHR2]

I hope your right !!

So do I, as I have a 2009 Disco 3 and maybe soon an MGS5 after the untimely demise of my MG5 FL Trophy.
Thing is, once the idea is out there...

 

[5teep]

Carry helium filled balloons when you go to get the car weighed??

 

[5teep]

This is not strictly true. My understanding is she has been lobbied by the Transport & Environment group to levy £10/kg tax for vehicles above a threshold of 1600 kg but with a rider there'd be a 400 kg allowance for fully electric vehicles. So EVs under 2000 kg wouldn't be affected. However, she may of course decide to go further in her attempt to somehow raise another £20b or so in tax and duty.

Tax of £960 a year would certainly make any car a no go for 99% of us.

 

[kpsmith 67]

If it goes up to £960 mine will be gone

 

[Lovemyev]

If this article turns out to be true and the EV threshold starts at 2000kg the MGS5 will get caught in the trap !.
Mad when you consider 18 months ago the VED was zero for EV's due the lack of emissions being release and therefore polluting the atmosphere.
Now we will be asked to pay the same VED as a 3.0 litre BMW X3 for example, that is just crazy.

 

[kpsmith 67]

I think it's based on kerb weight and not gross kerb weight

 

[PeterHR2]

Here is an article about the T&E group's proposals

Later on, when it talks about road damage, there is an obvious and glaring inconsistency in allowing EVs more latitude wrt kerbside weight.
I'd argue that a large fraction of road damage is initiated by two factors only partially related to vehicle weight:

1. Poor drainage, particularly on rural roads, allowing greater freeze/thaw damage and greater hydrodynamic forces from vehicles to occur.
2. Digging up of roads for access to services. It doesn't matter how well the reinstatement is done, these become weak points for water ingress because you get hollows and gaps for water to collect, and then freeze/thaw and hydrodynamic pressure from passing vehicles sets in.

And then patch repairs in both cases just create more perimeter for the same thing to occur.

 

[Anon70]

Not sure they will be able to define an SUV on weight alone, otherwise all those Cyberster SUV drivers re in for a shock. Also it is not cars that are the issue, should be charging Amazon and all the haluage compaines more if the duty is "really" about road damage

 

[Lovemyev]

I think it's based on kerb weight and not gross kerb weight

Thanks .
If I am reading this data taken from the MG website, then the highest kerb weight of the S5 Trophy LR at 1725 kg’s should still be under the proposed 2000kg figure for EV’s before increases are applied ?.
Please correct me if I wrong.

 

[Gomev]

In theory yes. That is if the proposals remain the same, and if the proposed changes go ahead, plus any other ifs you can think of.

 

[Everest]

I think it's based on kerb weight and not gross kerb weight

there is an obvious and glaring inconsistency in allowing EVs more latitude wrt kerbside weight.

Scientifically, wouldn't it be pressure rather than weight which is the damaging factor to a road's surface?

 

[PeterHR2]

Pressure is load divided by cross-sectional area. The denominator is (essentially, for a given defect/pocket) constant, so the weight of the vehicle (i.e. load – technically the load as delivered at the tyre–road contact point) has a marked effect on damage potential.