While the advent of Boris Johnson as the London Mayor may be good news for hairdressers, teetotal London Undergrounders and Range Rover Sport owners, those driving a host of superminis and low-polluting cars may have sighed a despairing sigh, as Johnson has indicated that he will not back plans to scrap the Congestion Charge for drivers of cars emitting less than 120g/km.
As a result literally dozens of premature articles acclaiming the scrapping of the charge for such vehicles are now hopelessly out-of-date. Here at MotorTorque we've adapted our article on cars exempt from the congestion charge to reflect Boris' vision for London transport.
What that means is that alternatively-fuelled cars such as electric vehicles, hybrids, biofuel vehicles and those using LPG and CNG are still exempt from the C-Charge, regardless of their overall CO2 levels, while cars that might as little as 99g/km will still pay the full amount.
Good news for drivers of large SUVs, luxury cars and performance cars too - they will pay the same amount as the likes of the 99g/km city cars, rather than the £25 per day suggested by Ken.
As a result of this confusion we've adapted our list of cars beating the C-Charge to include all those that are, and all those that were in line to be exempt.
So, if you've heard that your car might be in line for a free London driving, check our list below to find yours and discover whether or not you'll be shelling out for Boris' London buses.
If you need to know check out
BMW 118d
• Good work EfficientDynamics!
• Emissions: 119g/km
• Price: £18,290
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review:
BMW 1-Series Coupe review
Cadillac BLS FlexPower
Caddy's high-emissions saloon is exempt form the C-Charge, despite sky-high emissions of nearly 200g/km of carbon dioxide.
• Emissions: 197g/km
• Price: From £22,095
• Road tax: £210
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Citroen C1
Both engines that come with the C1 qualify for cheap road tax. Same car as Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo.
• Emissions: 109g/km
• Price: From £7,095
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Citroen C1 review
Citroen C2 1.4 HDi and 1.6 HDi
Both diesel engines come in under the 120g/km limit so cheap road tax.
• Emissions: 113g/km, 119g/km respectively
• Price: From £9,595
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Citroen C2 review
Citroen C3 1.4 HDi and 1.6 HDi
Same engines as above for the slightly larger supermini
• Emissions: 115g/km, 118g/km respectively
• Price: From £10,695
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Citroen C3 reviews
Citroen C4 1.6 Bioflex
Citroen's C-Charge beating C4 hatch equipped with biofuel ability. Very high CO2 emissions though.
• Emissions: 180g/km
• Price: From £14,395
• Road tax: £170
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Daihatsu Sirion 1.0
Daihatsu´s cute supermini with a small 1-litre engine
• Emissions: 118g/km
• Price: From £7,495
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Daihatsu Sirion review
Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi
The perennial Ford small car´s diesel engine means you save cash on road tax
• Emissions: 119g/km
• Price: From £11,395
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review:
Ford Fiesta review
Fiat Panda 1.3 MultiJet
Fiat´s turbodiesel MultiJet is economical and cheap
• Emissions: 114g/km
• Price: From £8,595
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Fiat Panda review
Fiat 500 1.2 and 1.3 MultiJet
Both MultiJet 500s beat the 120g/km limit
• Emissions: 119g/km and 111g/km respectively
• Price: From £7,900
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Fiat 500 review
Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 MultiJet
The car that revived Fiat is available with one sub-120g/km option
• Emissions: 119g/km
• Price: From £10,920
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review:
Fiat Grande Punto review
Ford Focus FFV 1.8
Ford's class-leading Focus available in biofuel guise, and C-Charge exempt. Hatch and estate available.
• Emissions: From 167g/km
• Price: From £15,595 for hatch. £16,445 for estate
• Road tax: Currently from £170
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Ford Focus ECOnetic
Ford's low-CO2, low-consumption model is impressive kit, but doesn't dodge the C-Charge.
• Emissions: From 115g/km
• Price: From £16,845
• Road tax: Currently from £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Ford Focus ECOnetic review
• ECOnetic, BlueMotion, EcoMotion, EcoFlex, Blue Lion - worth it?
Ford C-MAX FFV 1.8
Ford's small MPV can be fuelled by bioethanol.
• Emissions: From 169g/km
• Price: From £15,345
• Road tax: Currently from £170
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
G-Wiz
• All-electric city car good for 40 miles between charges
• Emissions: None at source
• Price: From £7,299
• Road tax: Free
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Honda Civic Hybrid
Looking expensive now in comparison to competition. Look out for Honda´s new Insight hybrid
• Emissions: 116g/km
• Price: £16,600
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
• Review: Honda Civic Hybrid review
Hyundai i10 1.1
The i10 is cheap to buy and cheap to run
• Emissions: 119g/km
• Price: From £6,495
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: New Hyundai i10 review
Kia Picanto 1.0
One of the cheapest cars on the block just got potentially better in these days of high-fuel prices
• Emissions: 117g/km
• Price: From £5,595
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: New
Kia Picanto review
Lexus GS-450h Hybrid
Large executive saloon that beats the C-Charge thanks to its hybrid system but is something of a high polluter
• Emissions: 186g/km
• Price: From £38,058
• Road tax: Currently £210
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Lexus RX-400h Hybrid
Large SUV that's dirtier than the Lexus GS but cleanest in its class, and with a hybrid system to cheat Boris
• Emissions: 192g/km
• Price: From £36,393
• Road tax: Currently £210
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Lexus LS-600h Hybrid
Large SUV that's dirtier than the Lexus GS but cleanest in its class, and with a hybrid system to cheat Boris
• Emissions: 220g/km
• Price: From £81,4003
• Road tax: Currently £210
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
• Review: New Lexus LS600h L review
MINI Cooper D
BMW´s fuel-saving technology means the MINI´s carbon emissions are slashed
• Emissions: 118g/km
• Price: £16,000
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: New MINI Cooper D
review
MINI Clubman D
BMW´s weirdy mini-estate thing may be many things, but it´s certainly a lean, clean machine.
• Emissions: 109g/km
• Price: £15,400
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: New
MINI Clubman D
review
Mitsubishi i 0.7 Auto
Expensive to buy, but will pay you back in fuel savings in the long run
• Emissions: 114g/km
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Price: £8,999
NICE Mega City
• Another electric city car that can do 50 miles between charges. More expensive than the G-Wiz, but looks better
• Emissions: None at source
• Price: From £9,995
• Road tax: Free
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Peugeot 107
Both models beat the Congestion Charge. Same car as Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo
• Emissions: 109g/km
• Price: From £6,995
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Peugeot 107 review
Peugeot 207 1.6 HDi
On its way out, but a 1.6-litre HDi still comes in under Ken´s carbon cut-off
• Emissions: 120g/km
• Price: From £9,995
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Peugeot 207 review
Peugeot 308 HDi 90
New 308 hatch just scrapes in to the list of exempt vehicles
• Emissions: 120g/km
• Price: From £13,295
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: New
Peugeot 308 review
Renault Clio 1.5 dCI
Renault´s excellent supermini is exempt from the Charge in this guise
• Emissions: 115g/km
• Price: £9,095
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Renault Clio review
Renault Megane 1.5 dCI
Another hatchback just manages to make the exemption with the same diesel engine as the Clio
• Emissions: 120g/km
• Price: £14,730
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Renault Megane
review
Renault Modus 1.5 dCI 86
Renault´s mini-MPV and just sneaks under the threshold.
• Emissions: 119g/km
• Price: From £11,295
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Renault Modus
review
Saab 9-3 BioPower 175PS and 200PS
Saab biofuel saloon is exempt due to its alt-fuel engine, despite hefty CO2 emissions and doubts about biofuel credentials.
• Emissions: From 178g/km and 189g/km
• Price: From £23,055
• Road tax: Currently from £170
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Saab 9-5 BioPower 2.0t and 2.3t
Larger Saab biofuel saloon. A fairly heavy polluter, but exempt from C-Charge.
• Emissions: From 204g/km
• Price: From £24,250
• Road tax: Currently from £210
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive
SEAT´s answer to BlueMotion emits an impressive 99g/km of carbon dioxide and is exempt from road tax
• Emissions: 99g/km
• Price: £10,995
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• ECOnetic, BlueMotion, EcoMotion, EcoFlex, Blue Lion - worth it?
SEAT Leon Ecomotive
Another small family car that qualifies for £35 road tax.
• Emissions: 119g/km
• Price: TBA
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• ECOnetic, BlueMotion, EcoMotion, EcoFlex, Blue Lion - worth it?
Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI
New Fabia supermini may be made of cake, but its emissions are low
• Emissions: 120g/km
• Price: £12,335
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: New
Skoda Fabia review
Smart ForTwo 1.0
All models apart from the Brabus-tuned expenso-microcar qualify for £35 road tax, but are liable to pay C-Cahrge.
• Emissions: 112-116g/km
• Price: From £6,900
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: New
Smart ForTwo review
Toyota Aygo
Both models beat the Congestion Charge. Same car as Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107.
• Emissions: 109g/km
• Price: From £6,845
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Toyota Aygo review
Toyota Prius
Hair shirt car of choice for environmentalists, and free entry into Central London
• Emissions: 104g/km
• Price: £17,777
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
• Review: Toyota Prius review
Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D
Toyota´s fairly boring supermini just got more exciting, and less polluting.
• Emissions: 119g/km
• Price: £10,595
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Toyota Yaris review
Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTI
Much-improved as an all-round car, and now with low emissions. No C-Charge dodging here though.
• Emissions: 119g/km
• Price: 10,215
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: Vauxhall Corsa
review
Vauxhall Astra EcoFlex
Low-CO2, low-consumption version of Vauxhall's Focus rival.
• Emissions: 119g/km
• Price: £16,340
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• ECOnetic, BlueMotion, EcoMotion, EcoFlex, Blue Lion - worth it?
Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion
VW´s clever BlueMotion technology means you don´t pay road tax, but can't escape the C-Charge
• Emissions: 99g/km
• Price: £11,995
• Road tax: Free
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
• Review: New Volkswagen Polo
BlueMotion review
Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion
The Golf gets the BlueMotion treatment, but it´s not cheap even with that cash you´ll save on entering London
• Emissions: 119g/km
• Price: From £15,565
• Road tax: £35
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: No
Volvo C30 1.8 FlexiFuel
Volvo's hatch can run on bioethanol, so skips the C-Charge.
• Emissions: 174g/km
• Price: From £17,795
• Road tax: Currently £170
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Volvo S40 1.8 FlexiFuel
Volvo's entry-level saloon can run on bioethanol, so skips the C-Charge.
• Emissions: 177g/km
• Price: From £17,795
• Road tax: Currently £170
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Volvo S80 2.0 and 2.5 FlexiFuel
Volvo's luxury saloon can run on bioethanol, so skips the C-Charge.
• Emissions: From 194g/km
• Price: From £23,780
• Road tax: Currently £210
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Volvo V50 1.8 FlexiFuel
Volvo's small estate can run on bioethanol, so skips the C-Charge.
• Emissions: 177g/km
• Price: From £19,485
• Road tax: Currently £170
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Volvo V70 2.0 and 2.5 FlexiFuel
Volvo's small estate can run on bioethanol, so skips the C-Charge.
• Emissions: From 198g/km
• Price: From £25,280
• Road tax: Currently £210
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
Volvo S60 CNG
Volvo saloon that's exempt from C-Charge and is pretty good for fuel economy, if you can find enough CNG outlets.
• Emissions: 159g/km
• Price: From £22,560
• Road tax: Currently £145
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
• What is CNG?
Volvo V70 CNG
Volvo estate powered by CNG.
• Emissions: 169g/km
• Price: From £26,110
• Road tax: Currently £170
• Exempt from Congestion Charge: Yes
• What is CNG?