80% of drivers don't care about emissions

EIGHT OUT OF 10 drivers in the UK say they wouldn’t change their car to a lower emissions model to save on road tax.

This stark admission from the nation’s drivers follows a survey that also found 65% of Britain’s motorists don’t know their VED (Vehicle Excise Duty), or road tax, is calculated on the carbon dioxide emissions of their car.

Many drivers think their road tax is worked out based on the size of engine in their car. In the same survey by Flexed, 64% of drivers also said they would not buy an electric car even if it meant free road tax.

Jonathan Ratcliffe of Flexed said: ‘Despite recent falls in the price of petrol, most road users have simply given up caring about the cost of motoring – both in cash and environmental terms. Many drivers we spoke to would rather vehicle excise were scrapped altogether, so everybody pays a fairer amount based on fuel consumption.

Current duty rates put petrol and diesel cars into 13 bands depending on the amount of CO2 they emit per kilometre. Cars with less than 100g/km pay no duty, while vehicles which emit more than 255g/km can pay £1,065 in their first year on the road.

By Press Association reporters