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Ten tax-evading cars (FROM yAHOO NEWS)
In wishing to reduce the overall CO2 impact of cars on the environment, the best the Government can come up with is taxing cars based on their tailpipe emissions. With the current Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) system, 'road tax' has become 'green tax'. The payment itself represents a very small proportion of the overall running costs of a car, but it's making a big difference to the way we choose our cars - and the way makers are advertising them.
Still, any kind of saving is good, and by nature a car with lower emissions will also be a cheaper car to run. So, here are our ten favourite tax-evading cars.
VW Golf BlueMotion: 99g/km / £0 VED
The Golf still reigns supreme as the king of prestige and quality among family hatches, so to get one that's so very inexpensive to run is a bonus. At over £17,000 it's not cheap to buy, but it will cost exactly zero in yearly VED payments and returns an amazing 74.3mpg, all the while looking as good as any other Golf.
Ford Fiesta 1.6 Econetic: 98g/km / £0 VED
The Fiesta is our favourite small hatch bar none, so we particularly like the Econetic version, which boasts CO2 emissions so low that the taxman will never hear from you. The green one isn't quite as much fun to drive as its more powerful siblings - and its diesel engine is a little rattly - but you'll spend so little time at the pumps that you won't care.
Toyota Prius: 89g/km / £0 VED
Need we say anything about the Prius? We will anyway. With the third generation, the Prius has truly come of age, now offering a completely car-like drive (as opposed to the hybrid weirdness of the previous versions) with looks that are actually attractive. Nobody can argue with 72.4mpg either. Well, apart from the owners of a couple of other cars on this list...
BMW 320d EfficientDynamics: 109g/km / £35 VED
It's not out until March, but we've already driven it and we can tell you it's worth the wait. Why? Because it's so normal with its cleanliness. The EfficientDynamics version of the 320d is just as rewarding to drive as the regular car - very, that is - but it's capable of 68.9mpg combined. From an executive saloon. Amazing.
Volvo S40/V50 DRIVe: 109g/km / £35 VED
We're running an S40 DRIVe at the moment and we're always amazed at the kind of real-world fuel economy it boasts, regularly turning around over 500 miles from a tank of diesel - and that's mostly around town too. We'd recommend the V50 estate for practicality purposes, but either way the DRIVe offers a lot of car for the running costs.
Toyota iQ: 99g/km / £0 VED
The iQ's innovative seating arrangement, which squeezes four people into a shell not much bigger than a Smart Fortwo, often overshadows the fact that the 1.0-litre petrol engine is hugely economical. You might expect that from such a small car, granted, but zero green tax is £35 per year less most Smart Fortwos can offer. And did we mention it carries four?
BMW 118d: 119g/km / £35 VED
Yes, there's a 1 Series with even lower CO2 than the 118d - the 116d - but this one is in the same VED band (
and barely any less economical, yet it's a significantly better performer than its weaker brother. The 118d is great because it in no way feels like an eco car. Some will find that fact alone highly appealing. It's far from cheap to buy, though.
Lexus RX 450h: 148g/km / £105 VED
This is the dirtiest car here, but it's also the biggest by some margin and in context provides astonishing fuel economy. Compared to the cleanest BMW X5, for example, the petrol hybrid Lexus SUV is £110 cheaper per year to tax - at £105. Incidentally, the petrol xDrive48i X5, costs £405 per year. So, while it's not the best premium SUV available, this Lexus offers real prestige, space, good performance and relatively miserly running costs.
Fiat 500C: 110g/km / £35 VED
Convertibles don't come much cheaper to run than this. In 1.3-litre diesel form, the Fiat 500C has style and flair in spades, but down to an innovative sliding roof canopy that keeps the roof structure intact it isn't hindered by the usual convertible drawbacks. The diesel is surprisingly smooth too.
SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive: 98g/km / £0 VED
The Ibiza supermini embodies everything that's good about VW's 'youth brand' - it's stylish, good to drive, high quality and reasonably priced. The Ecomotive version adds even more by being free to tax and very cheap to run: it returns a heady 76.3mpg. However, at £12,755 it's also a perfect example of a maker charging a bulky premium for the green model - it's almost £1,000 pricier than the standard 1.4 TDI, so you'll have to make sure its extra 10mpg economy will claw that back.
In wishing to reduce the overall CO2 impact of cars on the environment, the best the Government can come up with is taxing cars based on their tailpipe emissions. With the current Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) system, 'road tax' has become 'green tax'. The payment itself represents a very small proportion of the overall running costs of a car, but it's making a big difference to the way we choose our cars - and the way makers are advertising them.
Still, any kind of saving is good, and by nature a car with lower emissions will also be a cheaper car to run. So, here are our ten favourite tax-evading cars.
VW Golf BlueMotion: 99g/km / £0 VED
The Golf still reigns supreme as the king of prestige and quality among family hatches, so to get one that's so very inexpensive to run is a bonus. At over £17,000 it's not cheap to buy, but it will cost exactly zero in yearly VED payments and returns an amazing 74.3mpg, all the while looking as good as any other Golf.
Ford Fiesta 1.6 Econetic: 98g/km / £0 VED
The Fiesta is our favourite small hatch bar none, so we particularly like the Econetic version, which boasts CO2 emissions so low that the taxman will never hear from you. The green one isn't quite as much fun to drive as its more powerful siblings - and its diesel engine is a little rattly - but you'll spend so little time at the pumps that you won't care.
Toyota Prius: 89g/km / £0 VED
Need we say anything about the Prius? We will anyway. With the third generation, the Prius has truly come of age, now offering a completely car-like drive (as opposed to the hybrid weirdness of the previous versions) with looks that are actually attractive. Nobody can argue with 72.4mpg either. Well, apart from the owners of a couple of other cars on this list...
BMW 320d EfficientDynamics: 109g/km / £35 VED
It's not out until March, but we've already driven it and we can tell you it's worth the wait. Why? Because it's so normal with its cleanliness. The EfficientDynamics version of the 320d is just as rewarding to drive as the regular car - very, that is - but it's capable of 68.9mpg combined. From an executive saloon. Amazing.
Volvo S40/V50 DRIVe: 109g/km / £35 VED
We're running an S40 DRIVe at the moment and we're always amazed at the kind of real-world fuel economy it boasts, regularly turning around over 500 miles from a tank of diesel - and that's mostly around town too. We'd recommend the V50 estate for practicality purposes, but either way the DRIVe offers a lot of car for the running costs.
Toyota iQ: 99g/km / £0 VED
The iQ's innovative seating arrangement, which squeezes four people into a shell not much bigger than a Smart Fortwo, often overshadows the fact that the 1.0-litre petrol engine is hugely economical. You might expect that from such a small car, granted, but zero green tax is £35 per year less most Smart Fortwos can offer. And did we mention it carries four?
BMW 118d: 119g/km / £35 VED
Yes, there's a 1 Series with even lower CO2 than the 118d - the 116d - but this one is in the same VED band (
and barely any less economical, yet it's a significantly better performer than its weaker brother. The 118d is great because it in no way feels like an eco car. Some will find that fact alone highly appealing. It's far from cheap to buy, though. Lexus RX 450h: 148g/km / £105 VED
This is the dirtiest car here, but it's also the biggest by some margin and in context provides astonishing fuel economy. Compared to the cleanest BMW X5, for example, the petrol hybrid Lexus SUV is £110 cheaper per year to tax - at £105. Incidentally, the petrol xDrive48i X5, costs £405 per year. So, while it's not the best premium SUV available, this Lexus offers real prestige, space, good performance and relatively miserly running costs.
Fiat 500C: 110g/km / £35 VED
Convertibles don't come much cheaper to run than this. In 1.3-litre diesel form, the Fiat 500C has style and flair in spades, but down to an innovative sliding roof canopy that keeps the roof structure intact it isn't hindered by the usual convertible drawbacks. The diesel is surprisingly smooth too.
SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive: 98g/km / £0 VED
The Ibiza supermini embodies everything that's good about VW's 'youth brand' - it's stylish, good to drive, high quality and reasonably priced. The Ecomotive version adds even more by being free to tax and very cheap to run: it returns a heady 76.3mpg. However, at £12,755 it's also a perfect example of a maker charging a bulky premium for the green model - it's almost £1,000 pricier than the standard 1.4 TDI, so you'll have to make sure its extra 10mpg economy will claw that back.
