Road Tax Band G - Would It Put You Off Buying A Car?

[Lexxy_703]

had a look at a couple of cars over the weekend, not Lexus unfortunately as nothing grabs me in their current line-up

we didn't like the BM 3 convertible, nice drive but felt a bit 'cheap' inside & was pretty cramped for space too. we have taken a liking to the Merc CLK 280 cabrio tho

i'd done a bit of research before hand, be prepared & all that!, but was a bit miffed to discover the wheels that come with the avantgarde or sport choices take the car into tax band G. i'd ruled out the CLK 350 for this reason already.

when we go back to Merc in the week, i'll be asking specific questions as the salesman, altho very helpful, didn't mention anything about this even tho i'd already said about the different tax bands i THINK there is an option to choose 8.5j x 18(225/35) wheels for the rear (at an extra cost of £760!) which would put the car back into band F, but i need to check up on this.

it's not the £100-£200 extra road tax per year but the depreciation factor when we come to change in probably 4-5 years time that worries me. it's a private purchase & a hefty chunk of £££'s to be spending!

even tho i'm not London based, i think congestion charges will probably be rolled out to all major cities soon & surely this will have an effect on future values?

any thoughts guys?

cheers

Abbie

[eXOBeX]

I thought VED bands were based on emissions. Why does the choice of wheels push you up the band? Or do the Avantgarde and Sport models have higher emissions?

[WylieCoyote]

It is emissions that control the level of VED. Cars that emit more than 225g/km CO2 are rated as band G. It has nothing to do with any other factor other than how clean the car is.

In answer to the question, yes the VED rates do influence my car decision. I would not buy a band G car. I'm no eco-mentalist but I just resent paying £300 a year to use the roads on top of all the other costs there are too. I resent paying £205 on the Lexus!

Keith :)

[Giblet]

unless you go electric or hybrid you are going to get hit with congestion charges anyway. yes the VED would influence my decision, especially if the current top level continues to rise as is expected, and at quoted figures of £1,800 a year, you have to be seriously rich or seriously love the car to want to pay that much for it. Below the top level, then no, but i suspect they will widen the financial gaps as well, so who knows.

[Lexxy_703]

I thought VED bands were based on emissions. Why does the choice of wheels push you up the band? Or do the Avantgarde and Sport models have higher emissions?

they are BUT because the wheels/tyres on those options are presumably lower profile, they change the emissions from -

CLK280 Elegance standard sizes 16", 205/55 front & 225/50 rear - 222 CO2, band F

CLK280 Avantgarde standard 17", 225/45 front & 245/50 rear - 227 CO2, band G

it's the size on the rear that makes the difference, see VED info here

your replies have pretty much confirmed what i thought, it does make a difference! it's a flamin minefield out there & i don't know what to do now...

part of me thinks, stuff it - if it's going to be band G, i'll have a nearly new CLK350 with loads of toys that someone else has paid for (which are already cheaper than an equivalent nearly new 280) & have a bit of extra fun while i'm paying the higher road tax etc!!

[WylieCoyote]

I may be being terribly naive here but I can't see how CO2 emissions can have anything to do with tyre sizes? If I'm wrong, please correct me. You could spend all day debating on whether an extra few quid is worth it, but at the end of the day, you'd pay £100 for a night out to enjoy yourself - an extra £100 for the car you want kind of pales into insignificance really.

Keith :)

[Mike_B]

Additional width on the tyres increases friction and therefore increases fuel consumption. More fuel burn = more CO2 out the back. I'd also guess that the higher spec car weighs more, which also increases consumption.

[WylieCoyote]

Additional width on the tyres increases friction and therefore increases fuel consumption. More fuel burn = more CO2 out the back. I'd also guess that the higher spec car weighs more, which also increases consumption.

Point taken. I'll shut up then shall I?!!

[Parthiban]

It wouldn't put me off at all, an extra £200 or whatever it is a year is not going to put me off buying the car I really want.

However, I agree with your thinking about residuals, and the 350 would be the better purchase, as 350 buyers will already know that it's in the top tax band and not worry about it whereas 280 buyers may expect it to be band F and then be disappointed.......

[Lexxy_703]

Additional width on the tyres increases friction and therefore increases fuel consumption. More fuel burn = more CO2 out the back. I'd also guess that the higher spec car weighs more, which also increases consumption.

Point taken. I'll shut up then shall I?!!

we all learn something new everyday!! :winky:

[kam05]

Try and look at it this way....I could be wrong....(it has been known!)

If I was buying a car which had its VED in band G and I was paying circa £40k (if I remember rightly from your old posts), this wouldn't be an issue for me, because if I can afford to spend £40k on a car, then I should be able to afford the road tax, regardless of its road tax band.

However, as all cars loose value, and the fact is that this £40k car maybe be worth, say for example, £1k-£2k 10/15 years from now, then I would have an issue with its road tax band, as from my point of view, its not worth paying the band G road tax price on a car which isn't worth a lot.

[Lexxy_703]

Try and look at it this way....I could be wrong....(it has been known!)

If I was buying a car which had its VED in band G and I was paying circa £40k (if I remember rightly from your old posts), this wouldn't be an issue for me, because if I can afford to spend £40k on a car, then I should be able to afford the road tax, regardless of its road tax band.

completely agree - NOW, the extra on road tax doesn't really matter when spending that much

However, as all cars loose value, and the fact is that this £40k car maybe be worth, say for example, £1k-£2k 10/15 years from now, then I would have an issue with its road tax band, as from my point of view, its not worth paying the band G road tax price on a car which isn't worth a lot.

THIS is the biggy that i just can't decide on! if it's a G & G is still the top whack band when we come to sell, it's going to limit the potential buyers & obviously reduce value...

i'm going to another merc dealer in a bit to have another look at the CLK (without trying to drool too much!) & also ask about their private contract purchase thing. perhaps that may be an option this time around if i'm this concerned about what happens when we come to change?

[Tango]

see VED info here

Interesting, didn't realise you have to pay an additional £95 a year road tax to drive a manual IS250, and the 220D Sport is the same taxation class as the 250 Auto whereas the 220D is £165. :) Seems a little odd when I can still choose to drive my auto in continual manual mode if I so wish.

Regarding the tyre issue, what if you put say wider rims on a 250...is it subject to increased taxation i.e. is there an adjustment allowance in the VED process?

[Parthiban]

That all sounds quite silly to me - surely if you bought a 280 with the narrow tyres, and then put on some aftermarket wide tyres, you'd still be in band F?

I can't actually believe that they have individual tax bandings for the same car with different alloys.

I assume it's based on the spec that the car left the factory with? Which would mean that if you're buying an ex-demo, simply changing the wheels won't actually make any difference to the tax band, unless you decided to take it up with the DVLA which seems like more hassle than it's worth.

Just get the 350 with the widest tyres they do, and forget about the rest!

[Mark W]

Nothing to do with that type of spec - its all down to emissions.....

[Tango]

That all sounds quite silly to me - surely if you bought a 280 with the narrow tyres, and then put on some aftermarket wide tyres, you'd still be in band F?

I can't actually believe that they have individual tax bandings for the same car with different alloys.

I assume it's based on the spec that the car left the factory with? Which would mean that if you're buying an ex-demo, simply changing the wheels won't actually make any difference to the tax band, unless you decided to take it up with the DVLA which seems like more hassle than it's worth.

Just get the 350 with the widest tyres they do, and forget about the rest!

We're all in trouble if all this legislation is driving us to non-modified cars, i.e. tests carried out on new models with tax banding on OEM varying options. Some countries are already moving in that direction where any mods to the 'as delivered' standard give major hassle and increased costs all round.

Nothing to do with that type of spec - its all down to emissions.....

Read it, it's based on tests carried out on new cars. Various options and model types are individually tested and put into the tax bands depending on the results of the tests. That's why the IS250 Auto is in a lower band rate than the IS250 Manual....difference of 3 mpg.

[Lexxy_703]

i can only concur gents, 'tis a flippin complicated world we live in these days! :shutit:

i'm just about to do my facts & figures spreadsheet (i'm sure i was an accountant in a previous life! :D), but the info i've just got on the Merc personal contract scheme all seems very positive at the mo', so it will be "who cares about band G, i've got a guaranteed future value & i'll have the car i originally wanted thank you very much!"

[maneesh]

to be honest, on a luxury motor, depreciation, petrol, insurance and reliability are my main items to focus on when looking on "Can I afford it?".

If the additional road tax bill isn't going to affect your ability to put food and water on the table, then go for it!

[Lexxy_703]

to be honest, on a luxury motor, depreciation, petrol, insurance and reliability are my main items to focus on when looking on "Can I afford it?".

If the additional road tax bill isn't going to affect your ability to put food and water on the table, then go for it!

erm, i've already said its NOT the extra £100-£200 per year but the possible depreciation black-hole potential...

[Fidgits]

To be honest - a car thats *just* in band G will be very hard to sell.

If I was you, I'd go for the 350 or even a AMG version - cos hell, if your in the top band you may as well be well into it ;)

[Lexxy_703]

To be honest - a car thats *just* in band G will be very hard to sell.

If I was you, I'd go for the 350 or even a AMG version - cos hell, if your in the top band you may as well be well into it ;)

Ahhh, i do like it when somebody else says it too - i keep thinking this, then my head quickly jumps in & tells my heart not to be so damn silly!

got our test drive booked tonight & i have absolutely no idea what so ever what i'm going to do...

i've also had the nagging doubt that even if we do go for the variant that is band F, when it comes to re-sale/p.x., will it just be lumped together in value with the band G car anyway? after all, we're talking about the spec of a car NOT the engine size that's causing the bloomin difference?! :tsktsk:

[Parthiban]

If you're not particularly set on a 280, then I'd go for the 350 - in my opinion it's one of the finest engines Mercedes makes (well out of the realistic ones anyway), it's a fair bit more powerful without much of a difference in economy.

I really wouldn't worry too much about the road tax bandings as people who buy cars like this think much less with their heads.

Saw your post on the MB forums, and I think you're right to think about what spec to buy - although one thing to check is to try out parktronic and see whether you like it. I personally don't, the one in our merc drives me nuts (I much prefer the audible beep) so might be worth saving a bit and getting an aftermarket system fitted

[Fidgits]

To be honest - a car thats *just* in band G will be very hard to sell.

If I was you, I'd go for the 350 or even a AMG version - cos hell, if your in the top band you may as well be well into it ;)

Ahhh, i do like it when somebody else says it too - i keep thinking this, then my head quickly jumps in & tells my heart not to be so damn silly!

got our test drive booked tonight & i have absolutely no idea what so ever what i'm going to do...

i've also had the nagging doubt that even if we do go for the variant that is band F, when it comes to re-sale/p.x., will it just be lumped together in value with the band G car anyway? after all, we're talking about the spec of a car NOT the engine size that's causing the bloomin difference?! :tsktsk:

which is odd I have to admit.

But yes, go for the best version you can - for one you'll enjoy it more, and the other is the simple fact that the top spec models hold their value much better (just compare the depreciation of the Audi S and RS models to the standard cars!)