DRIVERS can avoid a hefty tax hike that’s coming in a matter of months thanks to three handy tips.
Vehicle Excise Duty, or VED, is rising in April and will heavily impact motorists who own petrol and diesel vehicles.
Indeed, first-year rates have doubled for buyers of many new models, a measure that will further widen the gap between fully electric and internal-combustion engines.
Van owners are set to be among the most affected by the new VED rates based on emissions.
Experts at Go Compare have found that diesel van owners could pay £1,807.75 more per year under the new update, while those with petrol vehicles may have to fork out an extra £1,354.84.
This represents a significant hurdle for road users who are already feeling the pinch and rely on their vans for work.
Tom Banks of Go Compare, however, suggested there are some methods road users can employ to lessen the financial strain by April.
Firstly, perhaps the most straightforward way is simply by switching to a cleaner model to save money – although cutting back on costs elsewhere is another way around the price hikes.
Tom said: “If you can’t buy a suitable hybrid or electric van, you could opt for a ‘nearly new’ one instead.
“This allows you to enjoy a vehicle that’s virtually as good as new without breaking the bank and means you can dodge the increased tax.
“Failing this, see if there are any other ways you can reduce your motoring expenses to counteract the higher tax.
“Comparing van insurance policies might help you find a provider offering the same amount of protection for less, and finding new ways to maximise your fuel economy could help to cut costs further.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Shocking moment car crashes and flips after speeding down busy street” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6365770718112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Go Compare says van drivers will pay an extra £15.5 million over the first six months of the new tax year if 2024 sales patterns continue.
The analysis from Go Compare van insurance examined data from the Department for Transport.
They also looked at privately owned van registrations in the first half of the 2024 tax year and then applied new VED rates to determine how much road users could pay from April.
For vehicles in general, the upcoming road tax increase is linked to CO2 emissions, with the more a vehicle emits, the higher the first-year VED rate.
This affects all cars, including hybrids, with zero-emission cars also starting to pay a small amount.
However, van drivers will be particularly hard hit, with new van buyers facing an average increase of £1,732 in the first year, according to the Birmingham Mail.
This is largely due to most vans being diesel-powered and falling into higher emission bands.
The standard rate, payable from the second year onwards, will increase with inflation, but the emissions-based changes only affect the first year’s tax.
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D102327%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]This comes as drivers have been left furious after reporting that “contaminated” fuel from a major petrol station chain “caused cars to break down”.
Dozens of motorists using a BP garage in Rayleigh, Essex, saw their vehicles grind to a halt shortly after filling up.
Bosses at BP have since confirmed that the contaminated pump, at the garage in London Road, has been closed.
And elsewhere, Fiat has slashed the price of two models by thousands after a drop in sales last year.
The 600e Crossover and its Abarth 500e Hot Hatch stablemate are now going for a bargain price.