New road tax and lpg converted cars?

ness_w
ness_w Posts: 334 Forumite
in Motoring
My car (Ford Galaxy) runs on lpg, but is a conversion rather than factory model. It has never been entitled to reduced road tax as a result. Does anyone know if this will continue under the new regulations? It seems unfair that I have taken steps to reduce the emissions of my car (and fuel bills to me I admit) but I have to pay as if it were still guzzling gas.

Thanks, Ness.
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Comments

  • harveybobbles
    harveybobbles Posts: 8,973 Forumite
    So what happens if you convert your car to LPG, but contine to use it on petrol. Would it be fair for you to claim for a lower tax disc this way?

    Also, I'm not too sure if the emissions will be much lower anyway... Isn't it just the cost of fuel thats lower?
  • ness_w
    ness_w Posts: 334 Forumite
    harveybobbles wrote: »
    So what happens if you convert your car to LPG, but contine to use it on petrol. Would it be fair for you to claim for a lower tax disc this way?

    Also, I'm not too sure if the emissions will be much lower anyway... Isn't it just the cost of fuel thats lower?

    Yes, I take your point, though factory models run on petrol also, so you could run them on petrol and get the reduced rate - so no difference there. I don't think anyone would pay the nigh on £2,000 conversion costs to get a reduction on tax, it wouldn't be cost effective - you have to want to use the LPG.

    Yes, the emissions are much lower, I'm no expert, but when my car comes back from its MOT with the emissions certificate, one of the emissions measured is zero and the other(s?) is much lower than it was before the car was converted.

    Ness.
  • harveybobbles
    harveybobbles Posts: 8,973 Forumite
    Ive had diesel cars that have registered zero on the emissions test in an MOT.

    So thats that theory gone lol.
  • ness_w
    ness_w Posts: 334 Forumite
    harveybobbles wrote: »
    Ive had diesel cars that have registered zero on the emissions test in an MOT.

    So thats that theory gone lol.

    Fair dos, I'm no expert :confused: - it's supposed to be greener because it's using a resource that would otherwise be wasted - so the emissions would occur anyway, just not from my car iyswim. I don't really know how much better for the environment it is - but someone thinks it is because the duty on it is reduced and so is the car tax...

    Ness.
  • iolanthe07
    iolanthe07 Posts: 5,493 Forumite
    AFAIK from what I've read there is no reduced tax for cars that can run on LPG for the very reason stated above - they can all also still run on petrol.
    I used to think that good grammar is important, but now I know that good wine is importanter.
  • Steve_xx
    Steve_xx Posts: 6,976 Forumite
    Name Dropper Combo Breaker First Post First Anniversary
    I think you might be best to get in touch with DVLA and ask them if there is any reduction for your vehicle with the new regime. It's a fair point that as you use LPG then you are effectively doing your bit for the environment. I suspect that you, as a convert, might have slipped through the goverments net on this one, though you could protest and as a result there is nothing to stop the government from reconsidering the regime for converted vehicles. I'm sure you will not be using petrol, or be wanting to, when it is double the price of LPG.

    On the question of LPG, I am assuming here that it comes by the litre and is around 50p per litre? I was wondering two things: What's the cost of getting a car converted and does a litre of LPG produce the same miles per litre as petrol does in your car?

    With petrol prices rising as they are, it may well be worth considering.
  • Tucker
    Tucker Posts: 1,098 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    Contrary to much of what has been said, there is a reduction in car tax for dual fuel vehicle, althhough it's not much.

    The fact that it's a conversion is irrelevant. I recently had mine converted and received a refund. My car tax is now £20 PA less.

    On the emissions front, it is a cleaner fuel than both petrol and diesel. Yes diesel has lower CO emisions than petrol, but it emits far more particles in the the atmosphere, which are also harmful - hence that black puff of smoke you see from time to time. Diesel fuel contains no lead and emissions of the regulated pollutants (carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides) are lower than those from petrol cars. However, when compared to petrol cars with a catalyst, diesels have higher emissions of NOx and much higher emissions of particulate matter.

    This is taken from research on LPG compared to other fuels:

    According to research in Europe, LPG vehicles emit 20% LESS carbon dioxide than their petrol counterparts. Carbon dioxide, nitric oxides and particulates are key contributors to problems like poor air quality and global warming.
    The same investigation discovered that LPG is much cleaner than diesel when it comes to Nitric Oxides - it would, in fact, take around 20 LPG cars to produce as much NOx as is pumped out by just one diesel-powered car.
  • Tucker
    Tucker Posts: 1,098 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    PS - I pay 44p a litre for LPG and get slightly less MPG compared to petrol. Conversion is about £1200 these days.
  • harveybobbles
    harveybobbles Posts: 8,973 Forumite
    I don't think that you pay the Congestion Charge if you have a factory LPG car. Which is quite a saving...!
  • Wig
    Wig Posts: 14,139 Forumite
    Tucker wrote: »
    The fact that it's a conversion is irrelevant. I recently had mine converted and received a refund. My car tax is now £20 PA less.

    That's news to me, How did you get DVLA to change it's fuel status and hence it's VED rate?
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