UK automobile tax lure hits three particular manufacturers as £760 invoice leaves them ‘nugatory’
Popular family cars from the 2000s including Ford Mondeos, VW Golfs and Vauxhall Zafiras are being scrapped as soaring Vehicle Excise Duty bills reach up to £790 from April 2026
Some older Ford Mondeos are being scrapped as drivers realise they’ll be paying £760 tax from this April(Image: Ford)
A £735 tax trap is forcing hundreds of thousands of motorists to abandon their cars as they refuse to cough up the hefty charges. Many drivers are reportedly reluctant to switch to newer electric models, instead clinging to their older vehicles.
Some of these cars have bigger engines, and if owners opted for a similar replacement today, they’d be stung with a devastating ‘first year’ surcharge based on emissions that could reach £5,490.
Certain motorists reckon it’s more eco-friendly to keep an ageing motor on the road instead of purchasing something new that comes with substantial manufacturing emissions.
Yet the Telegraph revealed that some of the most sought-after motors from two decades ago are now practically worthless and heading for the scrapheap because the tax burden is simply too steep, reports the Mirror.
This means vehicles pumping out more than 225g of CO2 emissions per kilometre get hammered by Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) – with those producing 201-225g/km stumping up £430, 226-255g/km facing £735 and anything over 255g/km hit with £750.
These bands are set to climb further, with the £735 charge jumping to £760 and the £750 over 255g/km bracket expected to soar to £790 from April 2026.
However, the Telegraph found it’s not just premium SUVs with massive engines getting clobbered – ordinary family motors like Ford Mondeos, Saabs, VW Golfs and Vauxhall Zafiras are also in the firing line.
Drivers are reportedly sending their cars to the scrapyard because of the enormous annual tax bill, which often matches what the vehicle is actually worth. However, the Guardian revealed that manufacturing a medium-sized new vehicle could produce over 17 tonnes of CO2e – nearly equivalent to three years of gas and electricity consumption in a typical UK household.
Mike Berners-Lee and Duncan Clark explained: “With this in mind, unless you do very high mileage or have a real gas-guzzler, it generally makes sense to keep your old car for as long as it is reliable – and to look after it carefully to extend its life as long as possible. If you make a car last to 200,000 miles rather than 100,000, then the emissions for each mile the car does in its lifetime may drop by as much as 50%, as a result of getting more distance out of the initial manufacturing emissions.”
Most vehicles registered before 2001 are simply levied based on engine capacity.
Anything under 1,549cc faces an annual charge of £229, whilst motors with larger cubic capacity – whether it’s a Lada or a Lamborghini – pay £360 yearly.
Following this period, the emissions-based bands were introduced, though vehicles registered between March 2001 and 23 March 2006 had their maximum rate limited to the Band K level, currently standing at £430.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
