Looking at the average emissions of new cars over the last five years, you can clearly see a steep curve of decline.
To deliver these improvements in CO2 performance, even in larger cars, the speed of development from the manufacturers has been impressive as they come up with new technologies and smart ways of getting more out of the vehicle for less.
As part of my role, I get to try a number of new vehicles and in recent months I’ve been in hybrids, range extenders and fully electric vehicles – many of which are really good vehicles – as they move into the market and onto our roads.
What’s been really impressive is the dramatic improvement in mpg and fall in emissions from petrol and diesel models as the manufacturers have made great strides to improve the performance of standard engines.
Part of the driving force for this improvement has been the tough targets imposed on the manufacturers from Europe.
But while a mandatory average emission target for motor manufacturers of 130g has been set for 2015 – the milestone is starting to look much less difficult to achieve than it did when it was first announced.
What this progress is likely to mean is that as the manufacturers continue to deliver, the Government will continue to reassess and adjust vehicle taxation.
This means that if you are not in a fairly modern and efficient car, you will be hit hard. Unless you have money to burn, you need to make smart vehicle selection decisions or your ongoing costs will increase.
This trend is one that will continue into the future and the European Commission has announced proposals to implement targets for motor manufacturers that would cut average emissions from new cars to 95 grams of CO2 per km in 2020.
So cars will get greener while taxation will increase for anything but the cleanest vehicles.
Now more than ever, it’s really important to take a future facing stance to vehicle selection to ensure that you end up at the right point on this curve. If costs are a consideration (which they are for most of us) being green is the best way to manage your Budget.
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