8 out of 10 UK Drivers Unaware Their Road Tax May Double

LONDON, May 22, 2008; Eighty-four per cent of British drivers are unprepared for the radical changes to road tax rates which will see a million people pay more than double over two years, according to the Environmental Transport Association.

The graduated rates of vehicle excise duty in 2009 will be based on a car's emissions, but the research reveals that only 16 per cent of people know the current tax band into which their vehicle falls.

Andrew Davis, director at the Environmental Transport Association, said: "The new system aims to encourage drivers to choose the least polluting car, but millions of drivers will get a shock as tax bills land on doorsteps next April -the spiralling cost of motoring means people need to check now how much they will pay."

The ETA website at http://www.eta.co.uk features a Car Buyers' Guide, a free online directory of the environmental performance of over 1300 cars. New figures are published on 18th June 2008.

    
    
    - The Environmental Transport Association is a not-for-profit
      ethical breakdown organisation, providing carbon-neutral breakdown
      cover and insurance products. As well as encouraging responsible 
      driving to reduce carbon, the ETA campaigns for sustainable transport
      http://www.eta.co.uk

    - The research carried out by the ETA shows that only 5 per
      cent of drivers know precisely how much CO2 is produced by the car
      they drive and a further 11 per cent know the emissions-based tax 
      band into which it falls. Total sample size was 2,060 adults. The 
      survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and 
      are representative of all British adults (aged 18+)

    - Owners of models of the Renault Espace, Vauxhall Zafira, VW
      Sharan, Ford Galaxy, and others that emit more than 225g of CO2 per km
      will pay GBP430 in 2010 compared with GBP210 this year.