EU delivers a blow to diesel drivers

Are you one particular of the 10million motorists who made the switch from petrol to diesel for the duration of the final decade? If so, you could be about to see a significant boost in your car’s running fees as the European Union puts much more stress on Britain to cut air pollution levels.

UK to miss pollution deadlines

In 2008, the EU issued the New Air Good quality Directive which set limits on the level of air-borne contaminates and gases produced from the burning of fossil fuels. And even though EU member states had been provided until 2015 to meet these limits, the UK government believes most cities will want till 2020 and the air around London won’t meet the essential common till 2025.

And since the UK has admitted defeat in its bid to cut air pollution levels to the required levels, the government will now be sued by the European Commission.

The negative news if you’re a diesel driver is that, despite the fact that you may possibly think your automobile to be a more eco-friendly alternative and less expensive in car excise duty (VED or road tax to most of us) as a result of lower CO2 emissions, the greater levels of nitrogen oxide diesel engines produce mean they really pose a greater wellness risk.

And if you feel this is practically nothing but far more hot air from the EU, the emissions from diesel vehicles have been linked to tens of thousands of premature deaths every year, with nitrogen dioxide alone accountable for around 7,000 deaths a year.

But this is not what we were being told at the turn of the millennium.

Diesel boom…

Back in 2001 the Labour government overhauled VED so that reduced CO2 emissions meant decrease road tax. This triggered motorists to switch to diesel in their droves and sales went from 1.6million to 11million more than the subsequent 10 years – the decrease CO2 levels developed by diesel engines meant less costly road tax, even though their greater fuel efficiency lowered running charges even additional.

So diesels not just the more eco-friendly option, they were also the much more wallet-friendly choice – but all that is about to turn on its head.

…and bust

Despite the fact that the Labour government was warned that diesel cars create 10 times as several fine particles and  up to twice the nitrogen oxide of petrol automobiles, it still chose to plough on with its plans to base VED on CO2 emissions and, in effect, misled the public with regards to the rewards of diesel engines.

If you’re a diesel driver, you could be about to spend the cost. Not only could you see the worth of your vehicle plummet, you could locate your running charges rise via a combination of more expensive fuel and further congestion charges, as the Mayor of London has already announced plans to charge diesel drivers an further £10 to drive in the capital and this could be copied by as many as 18 other British cities.

The only bit of excellent news for diesel drivers is that there are no plans to adjust the guidelines on VED, but conservative ministers are lobbying the government so it might only be a matter of time.

The notion of low-emission zones is also being floated, which signifies you could find you’re not even allowed to drive your diesel in particular regions, a move that could influence every little thing from college buses, to taxis, to hearses – the diesel really could be dead.

What do you feel? Have we been conned by the preceding government? Or is this just one more way to hit the pockets of motorists? Tell us by commenting below…

EU delivers a blow to diesel drivers