Ford goes into road tax overdrive 22 | 02 | 2017
FORD IN SCOTLAND is leading its biggest customer care exercise of the decade to prepare for changes in road tax due in under six weeks’ time. (Related: Ford to launch 300-mile electric SUV)
From April 1, Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) will first be calculated from a car’s CO2 emissions. The majority of cars will move to a standard rate of £140 annually from the second licence.
Cars with zero emissions will be exempt from new, while others priced over £40,000 will be charged an additional £310 a year, on top of the standard rate, for the following five years.
Ford, the market-leader in Scotland in January and with the most customers to guide through the transition, began advising its car buyers last year on the changes. According to the Blue Oval-badged car giant, the customer liaison necessary is at a level not seen since the Government’s scrappage scheme in 2009.
Ford’s most sought-after models such as Mustang, RS and Edge have longer lead times, meaning that those buyers were made aware first of the March 31 deadline to register cars against lower outgoing VED bands.
All become more expensive to tax from April – apart from coupé Ford Mustang V8s, which become almost £200 a year cheaper over six years. Right-hand drive 5.0-litre Fastbacks, costing well under the new system’s premium rate £40,000 threshold, become £995 more tax efficient in this period.
The zero VED rate currently applies to 93% of new Ford Fiestas – second top selling car in Scotland in January, and Britain’s best-selling car – thanks to emissions under 131g CO2/km emissions.
February and March’s introduction of the new 17-plate are set to prompt a surge in Fiesta sales ahead of the new annual VED levy of at least £140 on every model in the range.
From April 1, free road tax will apply to zero-emission vehicles, including the Ford Focus Battery Electric Vehicle. With a 140-mile range and 30-minute fast charging, the Focus BEV is part of Ford’s £3.5 billion investment in electric vehicles in the five years to 2020.
“After last month’s biggest January vehicle sales volume for Ford since 1990, these imminent VED changes are driving further sales peaks,” Andy Barratt, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said. “I anticipate a bumper March especially as buyers move fast to beat the tax man.”
Related: Green light for £90k Ben Nevis Ford
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Jim McGill