Owners of Ford, Volkswagen and Nissan models could dodge new Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) car tax increases set to come into effect this April.
Andy Wood, spokesperson for Tax Natives, confirmed that some models produced by the three manufacturers would be exempt from fees hitting other petrol and diesel motorists.
Cars which produce under 100g/km of CO2 produced before 2017 are eligible for free car tax meaning models with small engines may be just under the mark.
Andy explained: “Pre-2017 cars emitting less than 100g/km of CO2 qualify for free car tax, unlike newer cars which are exempt only if fully electric.
“These older vehicles are typically compact with small engines, including models like Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Golf, and Nissan Qashqai SUVs.
“Hybrids, notably plug-in hybrids like the BMW 330e PHEV, can also meet this criterion.” environmentally friendly transportation alternatives. However, it’s essential to recognise that this exemption may undergo revisions in April 2025.”
Ford has previously produced a 99bhp 1.0 litre EcoBoost Fiesta model which produced just under 100g/km of CO2.
The model picked up the What Car? Best Supermini award back in 2014 with the magazine praising the car’s road tax exemption as offering value for money.
Meanwhile, the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion model emits just 99 g/km CO2, just missing the threshold.
The Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi Visia also produced just 99g/km meaning road users will not be eligible for any fees.
Existing owners of these models are already exempt from road tax charges and should not have been playing VED since they owned the car.
However, securing one ahead of April 1 could be a simple trick to save the pennies with fees set to rise in line with Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation.
Finance experts at Pete Barden have previously suggested charges could increase by around six percent with almost all combustion owners set to be hit with fees.
Cars built after 2017 do not fall under this rule with the rules changed to make only electric vehicles exempt.
However, from April 2025 EV motorists will be forced to pay charges for the first time as a major incentive is lost.
