new purchasers of the Toyota Prius hybrid will no longer be exempt from the London Congestion Charge, after a modification in the method its carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are determined moved its official output above the 75g/km exemption threshold.
While present Prius owners won’t be impacted by the change, anybody who bought a new Prius from 1 February 2018 will discover their vehicle judged against updated criteria, implying they will have having to pay the capital’s £11.50 Congestion Charge.
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The Prius utilized to officially create 70g/km of CO2 when running on 15-inch wheels. This made it a preferred of personal hire owners, as they might drive into London while escaping the Congestion Charge. however that figure has now enhanced to 78g/km, while CO2 levels for a Prius running on 17-inch alloys have enhanced from 76 to 82g/km.
The increase has come since Toyota is changing the determine it utilizes to gauge the Prius’ CO2 levels from NEDC to NEDC-equivalent; the latter test was developed to precede the switch from NEDC to new WLTP testing requirements in 2019, as well as is thought about a halfway home between the two measures.
Vehicle excise duty, typically understood as road tax, has likewise enhanced for those purchasing a new Prius: the first-year charge for designs with 15-inch alloy wheels has enhanced from £15 to £90. possibly much more significantly, Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rates for company individuals of the exact same vehicle have risen from 13 to 17 per cent.
While the Prius Plug-In is likewise likely to be determined against NEDC-equivalent requirements soon, its lower CO2 emissions of 22g/km (under outgoing NEDC rules) make it extremely unlikely its emissions will increase above the 75g/km Congestion fee exemption threshold.
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