Urgent calls for diesel scrappage scheme

MPs are calling for a diesel scrappage scheme and VED reforms

Urgent calls for diesel scrappage scheme
The EAC wants a scrappage scheme to replace high-polluting diesel models.

The government should consider a diesel scrappage scheme and introduce a NOx-based element to vehicle excise duty (VED), according to The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC).

Britain’s last vehicle scrappage scheme saw almost 400,000 older cars taken as scrap, with owners each getting £2,000 towards a new car.

Huw Irranca-Davies MP, chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, said: “Tens of thousands of premature deaths are being caused in the UK every year by illegal levels of air pollution on our roads.

“Despite mounting evidence of the damage diesel fumes do to human health, changes to VED announced in this year’s Budget maintained the focus only on CO2 emissions.

‘Missed opportunity’

“This was a missed opportunity to also incentivise vehicles which emit less NOx.”

The current VED system favours diesel cars which typically produce lower CO2 emissions, however, campaigners argue that NOx should also be targeted.

The EAC believes the Treasury must use VED to create long-term incentives for drivers to buy cleaner hybrid and electric cars.

In an emergency budget, following this year’s General Election, Osborne presented a revised VED structure from 2017 to take into account the rising number of hybrid and electric cars.

Do agree with calls to introduce a diesel scrappage scheme? Share your comments below and send your stories to [email protected].

10 Comments

  1. Further to the previous scrappage scheme, I feel the motor manufacturers will once again be the only ones to reap the benefits. Removing the large element of good safe and reliable vehicles from our roads creates a massive hole in the second-hand market forcing the third/forth owners of said cars to be left without a viable option to acquire good cars. The manufacturers already think that a seven/eight year old car is almost at end of life let alone the older vehicles which still use the highways of our country and yet they are the ones who produce MODERN cars with or without cheats that at three years old already struggle to pass the ministry emissions test and yet they want to increase the period to four years. My opinion is the manufacturers have to much power in controlling the used car market and should be harnessed/controlled more.

    Reply
  2. Further to the previous scrappage scheme, I feel the motor manufacturers will once again be the only ones to reap the benefits. Removing the large element of good safe and reliable vehicles from our roads creates a massive hole in the second-hand market forcing the third/forth owners of said cars to be left without a viable option to acquire good cars. The manufacturers already think that a seven/eight year old car is almost at end of life let alone the older vehicles which still use the highways of our country and yet they are the ones who produce MODERN cars with or without cheats that at three years old already struggle to pass the ministry emissions test and yet they want to increase the period to four years. My opinion is the manufacturers have to much power in controlling the used car market and should be harnessed/controlled more.

    Reply
  3. As said above the only people to gain out of this will be the manufacturers and the main dealers. As another in flux of new cars will also take a lot of the servicing and repair work away from the independents. Most new cars at this present time are sold with a service plan.

    Reply
  4. As said above the only people to gain out of this will be the manufacturers and the main dealers. As another in flux of new cars will also take a lot of the servicing and repair work away from the independents. Most new cars at this present time are sold with a service plan.

    Reply
  5. Totally agree with previous comments, the independents, the aftermarket spares manufacturers, the motor factors and the sector of the motoring public that can’t afford the newer cars or are not prepared to take out credit arrangements can obviously get stuffed, or so it would seem. As long as the motor manufacturers and then the dealers get their way then to hell with the rest of us. Pass me another beer.

    Reply
  6. Totally agree with previous comments, the independents, the aftermarket spares manufacturers, the motor factors and the sector of the motoring public that can’t afford the newer cars or are not prepared to take out credit arrangements can obviously get stuffed, or so it would seem. As long as the motor manufacturers and then the dealers get their way then to hell with the rest of us. Pass me another beer.

    Reply
  7. Seriously, what does £2k contribute towards a new car..? Pays for 1 years battery subscription to a Nissan Leaf. Most diesel cars being scrapped are worth more than £2k at 10 years old, a quick rethink might be required, a better incentive towards hybrid/electric cars may well be the key, 50% paid by goverment if you buy full Electric or 25% for Hybrid, by trading / scrapping your old diesel in.. And at one Eurofighter cost would cover it I think, £50M each.

    Reply
  8. Seriously, what does £2k contribute towards a new car..? Pays for 1 years battery subscription to a Nissan Leaf. Most diesel cars being scrapped are worth more than £2k at 10 years old, a quick rethink might be required, a better incentive towards hybrid/electric cars may well be the key, 50% paid by goverment if you buy full Electric or 25% for Hybrid, by trading / scrapping your old diesel in.. And at one Eurofighter cost would cover it I think, £50M each.

    Reply
  9. After the last scrappage scheme it took my business a couple of years to recover, it also removed affordable cars from the roads which less well off and young drivers need, so can we have a bit of joined up thinking by our out of touch leaders while they are being driven about in cars which we pay for.

    Reply
  10. After the last scrappage scheme it took my business a couple of years to recover, it also removed affordable cars from the roads which less well off and young drivers need, so can we have a bit of joined up thinking by our out of touch leaders while they are being driven about in cars which we pay for.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

Have your say!

1 0

Lost Password

Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.