What Car? Q&A - What will happen with 4x4s and tax?

Q: We are looking at purchasing a brand new Hyundai Tucson CRTD, but are concerned about car tax rising over the next few years due to carbon dioxide emissions. Could you give me any advice on this?
Mark

A: The Tucson you are looking at emits 187 grammes of carbon dioxide every kilometre travelled.

It's not exactly green, but compared with other 4x4s it's not a big polluter.

So, it avoids the highest tax band (£300 a year at present, soon to rise to £400), but does fall into the band F, which means you'll have to stump up £205 a year.

If you fancy saving £50 a year in tax, there are some similar 4x4s that fall into band E (£165 a year).

The Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 Di-D, for example, emits between 174 and 183g/km. It'll cost you a bit more to buy, but if you can stretch to £18,311 (with a bit of haggling) you'll save on tax, and also own a bigger and better all-round car.

The Nissan Qashqai 2.0 dCi 4WD also falls in band E, thanks to emissions of 183g/km. It won't cost you much more to buy than the Hyundai, either, starting at £16,747 (again, with a bit of haggling).

It's not quite as big as the Tucson, but is a great alternative if you don't need the extra space.