Industry dismisses impact of Boris's attack on diesel

Date: 13 August 2014   |   Author: John Mahoney

"Fleets always operate the newest and cleanest vehicles, and with the NOx and particulate removal gains offered by Euro6 engines it is unlikely that the Government will feel the need to discriminate against diesels. Even if it did, so long as any significant changes are signposted well in advance, our industry has proven it is very capable of adapting."

Residual value firm Glass's has also been monitoring the developments closely but believes any changes can be managed if they are carefully considered, according to RV expert Richard Parkin. He said: "The Government needs to remember you can't change what's on the road, only what people buy." Parkin explains retrospective taxation would be a disaster but sensible measures such as sunset clauses could help fleets cope with any big changes, and change seems inevitable.

Rival RV setter Cap predicted that values won't be impacted if the penalties are purely London-based, but things could change if pre-Euro6 diesel penalties extended beyond the capital city.

"The picture might change if more cities adopt low-emission zones and drivers find themselves paying more, but there is still a long way to go before that point," said Cap senior consultant Mark Norman.
With 29,000 premature deaths annually attributed to air pollution each year, air quality is unlikely to drop from the political agenda, with transport a long-term target.

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