NEWS
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LONDON’S ULTRA Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has finally expanded to cover all London Boroughs, forcing drivers of cars that don’t meet the required emission standards to pay £12.50 a day unless their vehicles are registered in the historic tax class.
As well as penalising those unable to afford a newer car, the move has led to a plethora of the capital’s modern classics being listed for sale or earmarked for scrappage schemes –a major blow to the classic scene as a whole. Vehicles over 40 years old and registered in the historic tax class are automatically exempt providing they’ve not been substantially altered in the last 30 years, but otherwise you’ll need a Euro 4 petrol (roughly post 2005) or a Euro 6 diesel (roughly post2015) as a minimum to avoid the daily fee. However, some cars complied with these emissions standards prior to the rules being enforced, which means some older cars may still escape the charge – even if TfL’s checker says differently.
The issue arises because it wasn’t until the Euro 3 standard came into force in
January 2001 that hydrocarbons and NOx were recorded separately and were listed on a car’s V5. And for cars without these figures on the V5, the TfL system simply assumes that they are liable for the charge. For owners of cars straddling this all important cut-off point though, all is not necessarily lost. The crucial emissions figures may not appear on the V5, but if it was homologated to Euro 4 by its maker then all you need is proof in the shape of a ‘Certificate of Conformity’. In many cases this will have been supplied with the paperwork when the car was bought new, but by now most are long gone. In most cases it’s possible to obtain a copy from the maker’s homologation department, but in the face of increased demand many are making charges – although even a charge of £100 is worthwhile if it results in exemption. Many owners have already successfully obtained the CoC from Jaguar for cars imported from Japan, but reports vary as to how easy the process is.
Owners with the relevant certi
