Buyers of new large family cars could soon face an additional tax based on vehicle weight, with charges potentially exceeding £1,000, ahead of Wednesday's Autumn Budget. Tory MPs have warned that Chancellor John Healey could impose a new weight-based charge on larger vehicles following lobbying from environmental campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E). The policy would add an extra first-year Vehicle Excise Duty charge, known as showroom tax, to new SUVs, heavy saloons and hatchbacks. T&E has called for a supplementary levy of £10 per kilogram above specified weight limits, applying to any new petrol or diesel car weighing more than 1,600kg and electric vehicles tipping the scales at more than 2,000kg.
This is Money, in conjunction with Auto Express, exclusively reveals that many popular models would be caught by the proposed levy. The Nissan Qashqai, a practical crossover starting from £31,145, would exceed the threshold by 50kg. The Skoda Superb Estate, a range-topping diesel model priced at around £50,000, would be 83kg over the limit. Even the Mazda 6e, an affordable all-electric family saloon starting from £38,995, would exceed the EV threshold by 15kg. The Mercedes-Benz CLA Electric, available for just under £30,000, would breach the EV limit by 91kg.
T&E has spent years calling for greater restrictions on larger and heavier SUVs, arguing that these vehicles pose greater danger to other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, while causing more road wear and contributing to higher emissions. Tory transport spokesman Richard Holden told the Daily Mail that Labour could even consider a vehicle's width when calculating any additional tax charge. Such a move would likely trigger backlash from motorists already reeling from Labour's recent changes to first-year VED rates. Last year saw a major shake-up of showroom tax rates, with former Chancellor Rachel Reeves doubling charges to encourage motorists to abandon petrol and diesel models in favour of electric vehicles.
More expensive vehicles would also be affected. The £154,070 Range Rover Electric weighs 2,735kg, exceeding the EV threshold by 735kg. The Bentley Torcal, Bentley's first fully electric vehicle at £173,000, weighs 2,795kg. The Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II Black Badge, priced above £400,000, would theoretically be taxed on the 1,130kg it carries above the proposed threshold. Steve Walker, head of digital content at Auto Express, said any showroom tax supplement would add a significant amount to the price of the heaviest cars, though for already expensive vehicles it would represent a relatively small percentage of their purchase price.
For borrowers and buyers, any new weight-based tax would add potentially hundreds or thousands of pounds to the cost of purchasing a larger family car, affecting both affordable models and premium vehicles across the market.
The proposal comes amid broader cost-of-living pressures on UK households. Buyers of new petrol and diesel cars producing more than 151g/km of CO2 already face a first-year road tax bill of more than £1,400, with the most polluting new models attracting charges exceeding £5,600.