last updated 2nd June 05
by 4ecotips.com

Better performance means lower road tax

A new colour-coded environment label for all new cars will appear in UK car showrooms from July this year. The consumer-friendly label will help car buyers assess the climate change impacts of different cars. It will also emphasise that - increasingly - better environmental performance means lower road tax and lower running costs.

The new label - to be introduced years ahead of likely EU legislation - is the result of a voluntary agreement by car makers following discussions with environment groups and other road transport 'stakeholders' under the auspices of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP).

For more information on the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP), follow this link: http://www.lowcvp.org.uk/

The new fuel economy label is intended to be familiar to consumers as it mirrors important aspects of the design and colour-coding of the energy efficiency labels that now appear on most 'white goods', such as refrigerators.

The gradations on the label are also consistent with the CO2 bandings used for Vehicle Excise Duty ('road tax') to ensure that the environmental message is backed up by a clear fiscal signal: lower carbon emissions = lower road tax. The label also provides clear running cost information showing that lower carbon, 'climate-friendlier' vehicles are cheaper to run.