New road tax VED rates to kill big classics?

facade

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81866356#Comment_81866356

In the Budget, Spring Statement, or whatever they call it nowadays, March 3rd.

(Unless she leaks it all beforehand again, and blames someone else….)

Mutton_Geoff

Ah, thank you for pointing out the truth. I thought that gov were going to retropectively apply higher banding. I do expect the rates to rise by RPI/CPI around 4% though.

As for not believing a Mondeo could be a classic, I used to drive Capris, Cortinas and Escorts in the 1970s and 80s and never thought for one minute they would be worth any more than I'd ever paid for them then.

Herzlos

It stings a bit to have a tax that's a huge chunk of a cars value*, which was the case for a while when there were lots of big engined saloons on the used market, but it was still not a problem when you looked at the bigger picture. But anything that'd count as a classic will be more than £500 these days.

It probably resulted in some cars going to scrap prematurely, but that'd likely be the dull cars with surprisingly big engines as it covered a lot of 'normal' family cars at the time.

Running a 'performance' car is always going to be expensive. My 2002 MG ZS 190 was £495/year to tax, but it also only got 15mpg so it was hardly a stitch up.

vacheron

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81866598#Comment_81866598

You might not want to take a look at this then! 😉

https://www.historics.co.uk/auction/lot/lot-170---1976-ford-escort-mk-ii-rs1800/?lot=17725&sd=1

daveyjp

It won't kill them off.

Anyone with any sense SORNs a classic for most of the year.

forgotmyname

2017 onwards flat rate tax was the option I chose. The car I purchased is normally £345 to £700 tax but because it's post
2017 it's the flat rate of £195.

As with most things you buy the car you want and just pay the bills or you choose the car based on running costs AND
overall bills.

Just because its £700 tax does not mean it's less expensive to run compared to something that's £195 tax. A bigger
issue with my choicxe of car was the decreasing engine size for towing.

I don't want a high revving engine with a tiny powerband.

photome

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81866163#Comment_81866163

that’s not low mileage 😀, our second car is a 2008. 2.3 litre mondeo that’s done 36000 miles. £430 going to £440 a year I believe

Markdavid1962

Photome, I think anything around the 5000 miles a year is low, yours is very low., of course it will always come down to ongoing running costs, pointless having a low mileage car which then costs thousands when things start to go wrong.

However my roadtax paid in Nov 2025 was £265, your roadtax is ouch expensive at £430

photome

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81871156#Comment_81871156

been lucky so far. Apart from £400 worth of sill work it’s just been consumables…it’s a petrol Auto so the emissions are high 🙁 , it’s a titanium X and so comfortable , I prefer driving it to our fairly new Seat Ateca except for the fuel it drinks

Markdavid1962

Sounds like you have a good one, (i am touching wood here as I type), mine so far is only consumables. I wish I could get a map update for the built in satnav but they dont make them past 2014 updates.

Its a 2.5litre, Auto diesel and its a different driving experience to my new Nissan Xtrail (Hybrid).