From April 1st this year (and sadly it's no April Fool's joke) a new 'Showroom Tax' will be introduced that could add a one-off payment of up to a grand on top of the purchase price of your new car.
This new charge for vehicle excise duty was announced way back in Chancellor Alistair Darling's 2008 budget but its ramifications will finally start to hit home next month.
Based on the government's car tax bands which focus on a particular motor's CO2 emissions, the aim of the one-off payment is to make punters (and their wallets) think harder about their potential new car's carbon footprint.
Sounds fair enough in principle but for the average driver who has to drive round a couple of kids every day (and their assorted wares) and needs a suitable car to do it in, the new tax could cause quite a financial sting - buying something as seemingly innocuous as a 2.0-litre diesel Ford Mondeo will see you facing a first-year duty of ?425 on top of the car's asking price, because of its Band J position (187g/km CO2 emissions for the Duratorq TDCi 140PS) - see below for a breakdown of the tax bands).
Those aiming higher and going for prestige brands such as a Land Rover or a Merc could see themselves paying the top rate of ?950 because of the cars's higher emissions. There is good news though - for the carbon-conscious among us, cars that fall into bands A through D will pay no car tax at all for the first year.
While here at Buyacar, we are advocates of greener motoring, we do have to wonder at the wisdom of piling on extra taxes when both the consumer and the car industry is still very much feeling the pinch thanks to the recession - which we are not even close to emerging from yet. More than ever then, it's imperative to source yourself a bargain by dropping Buyacar a line for the very best deals on that new set of wheels.
Here's a breakdown of the Showroom Tax one-off payments on the purchase of new car from April 1st. You may be surprised how high up the list some everyday models place...
Band A-Band D (up to 130g/km CO2):
Cars in these bands are exempt from the Showroom Tax.
Example cars: Seat Ibiza 1.4 TDI Ecomotive, Totyota iQ, Fiat 500 1.3 Multijet, VW Polo 1.6 Tdi, Suzuki Swift 1.3 (Diesel)
Band E (131-140g/km CO2): £110
Example cars: Mercedes A 180 CDI (2010), New Renault Megane 2.0 dCiBand F (141- 150g/km CO2): £125
Example cars: Ford Ka 1.3 Duratic (no air con), Peugeot 207 1.6 VTiBand G (151 to 165g/km CO2): £155
Example cars: Audi A4 2.0 Tdi, Mazda6 1.8Band H (166 to 175g/km CO2): £250
Band I (176 to 185g/km CO2): £300
Example cars: Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 CDTi, Nissan Qashqai 2.0 4x2
Band J (186 to 200g/km CO2): £425
Example cars: Freelander 2 2.2 TD4, Renault Clio Renaultsport 200
Band K (201 to 225g/km CO2): £550
Example cars: Alfa Romeo GT 1.8 TS, Porsche Cayman 2.9 PDKBand L (226 to 255g/km CO2): £750
Example cars: Skoda Superb 1.8 150bhp Tiptronic, Kia Sorento 2.5 CRDi
Band M (Over 255g/km CO2): £950
Example cars: Lexus LS460, Volvo XC90 V9 Geartronic
Adam Phillips, 25th March 2010
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