London congestion charge soars to £25 a day for 4x4s

Published on Tuesday 12 February 2008 20:55

GAS-GUZZLING vehicles, such as 4x4 "Chelsea tractors", will have to pay a £25 daily charge to enter London's congestion charge zone from October.

Owners of 4x4s and some high-powered sports cars and luxury vehicles will see the charge rising from the current 8 a day as part of London mayor Ken Livingstone's plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

However, cars with the lowest emissions will receive a 100 per cent discount from the daily charge from 27 October.

Mr Livingstone said: "Nobody needs to damage the environment by driving a gas-guzzling Chelsea tractor in central London. The emissions from the most high-powered 4x4s and sports cars can be up to four times as great as the least polluting cars.

"The charge will encourage people to switch to cleaner vehicles or public transport and ensure that those who choose to carry on driving the most polluting vehicles help pay for the environmental damage they cause. This is the 'polluter pays' principle."

Mr Livingstone said he hoped his initiative would have an impact throughout the world, with other cities following suit.

Most motorists will still pay 8 a day. The 25 charge will apply to about 17 per cent of vehicles – those emitting more than 225 grams of per kilometre (g/k), as well as those registered before March 2001 that have engines larger than 3,000cc. The total discount is for cars emitting less than 120g/k – about 2 per cent of the total.