It shows that someone selling their old car for £3,000 and buying a new car for £10,000 – a net outlay of £7,000 – will start to make total savings after two years and two months, assuming they drive in the emissions zone five days a year. week.
Alex Patel, of The Highway Company, said the value of used cars was changing rapidly as owners outside London sought to get rid of non-compliant cars. He said the prices of compatible cars are already rising due to demand.
He added: “Although non-compliant cars may see a decline in value, most of the UK is still outside clean air zones, so with the strength of the UK used car market there will still be buyers willing to buy these cars.” incompatible models.”
The Ulez expansion will apply to all cars, vans, motorcycles and minibuses weighing up to five tons.
Official guidelines state that the Ulez fee does not apply to petrol vehicles that comply with Euro 4 emission standards, and diesel vehicles that comply with Euro 6 emission standards.
All petrol cars registered after January 2006 and diesel cars registered after September 2015 are compliant, but some cars dating back to 2001 are known to meet the required standard.
Outside the capital, there are now so-called clean air zones in Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead), with another in Greater Manchester under review.
Restrictions vary per region. Only two, Bristol and Birmingham, currently apply charges to privately owned vehicles that do not meet minimum emissions standards.