No better shot to do it with. A perfect straight drive back past the bowler makes Joe Root Englandâs all time test run scorer. A stoke which sums him up. A magnificent achievement, but there are further summits he strives for.
Seems very strange that buying a greener car for just over ÂŁ40k would incur the same penalty as buying a ÂŁ195k Mercedes off roader with one of the worst CO2 emissions this century. Seems to be a flaw in a tax which is primarily calculated on emissions.
So, while going greener was already going to require some extra spending on our part, the government also wants a further 50% beyond the extra spend. And you donât get exemptions from tolls other than ULEZ and our 2007 Golf already doesnât pay that.
The charge lasts for 5 years . In this case, that means we could end up spending nearly ÂŁ2k extra in tax over the remaining period of the surcharge.
However, then the government comes in. Because the PHEV is a bit dearer, it was a little above ÂŁ40k when it was new. This means that from its 2nd year on the road it incurs a ÂŁ410 annual âluxuryâ vehicle tax charge. Doesnât matter how much you breach the ÂŁ40k by, once youâre over you pay that rate.
On the plus side, the fuel costs should be cheaper. Iâve taken a worst case assumption of our fuel spending on fuel and think weâd save a minimum of ÂŁ1,500 across 10 years*. So you donât make your money back. *And I could be wrong - manufacturer says weâll save a lot more.
Weâve been looking at a Kia Sportage PHEV and we have our hearts set on one with all the gadgets and gizmos. This takes us up into the ÂŁ35k bracket for a second hand car. The HEV is about ÂŁ4k cheaper, but produces a lot more CO2 - so already youâre paying to go greener, but thatâs the price of tech.
Been shopping for a new car and was rather surprised to find that in some cases the government is discouraging you from buying greener cars.
