Changes to London’s Congestion Charge came into force in January (2011) which introduced a radical overhaul to the exemptions for lower emission vehicles.
The Alternative Fuel Discount (AFD) closed to new applicants and in its place came the new Greener Vehicle Discount, which meant for the first time, a whole new array of cars qualified for exemption to the charge. The new discount system permits all vehicles that emit below 100g/km of CO2 and meet Euro 5 air quality standards to travel throughout the UK capital city without paying the daily fee.
The new system allows conventional petrol and diesel cars to qualify for exemption for the first time, permitting them to join low emission hybrid and electric cars in their privilege position. With such a dizzying choice of cars now able to pass through the capital city without paying the charge, TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk thought it would give you our Ten Ten of Congestion Charge Dodgers, presented in alphabetical order, to give you an idea of the models now available to choose from if you want to avoid the charge:
1. Audi A3 1.6 TDi with emissions of 99g/km CO2 and 74.3 mpg (combined).
2. Citroen DS3 1.6 HDi with emissions of 99g/km CO2 and 74.3mpg (combined).
3. Fiat 500 0.9 TwinAir with emissions of 92g/km CO2 and 67.3 mpg (combined).
4. Ford Fiesta 1.6 Econetic with emissions of 98g/km CO2 and 76.3 mpg (combined).
5. Lexus CT200h SE with emissions of 94g/km CO2 and 68.9 mpg (combined).
6. Nissan Leaf with zero tailpipe emissions and a range of 100 miles to a full charge.
7. Skoda Fabia 1.2 GreenLine with emissions of 89g/km CO2 and 83.1 mpg (combined).
8. Toyota Prius T3 Hybrid with emissions of 89g/km CO2 and 72.4 mpg (combined).
9. Volkswagen Golf 1.6 Bluemotion with emissions of 99g/km CO2 and 74.3 mpg (combined).
10. Volvo S40 DRIVe with emissions of 99g/km CO2 and 74.3 mpg (combined).