G-Class

Segment
SUV

For those of you that live in the US or somewhere else outside of the UK, you may not be familiar with the automotive enthusiast's worst nightmare called the Congestion Charge. Basically, the Congestion Charge is a £11.50 (around $14) daily tax for driving a vehicle within certain parts of Britain's capital, London. The charge applies to diesel and gasoline powered cars, and is meant to help lower pollution in the city. Now, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched a £10 ($12) toxicity "T-Charge" which should make petrolhead's lives even worse.

The T-Charge applies mainly to diesel and gasoline vehicles registered before 2006 and will come into effect on October 23rd, 2017. Anyone who wants to know if their car will be affected by this can look on the free vehicle checker provided by Transport For London. We took a look at what cars will fall under this new charge, and it seems like a lot. It basically affects cars, vans, minibuses, buses, coaches and Heavy Goods Vehicles, motorized caravans and horseboxes, breakdown and recovery vehicles, private ambulances, motor hearses, dual purpose vehicles and other specialist vehicle types that do not meet the minimum Euro emission standards.

There are a few exemptions such as taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs), vehicles with a historic tax class (40 years and older) and a few types of service vehicles. Mayor Kahn stated "It's staggering that we live in a city where the air is so toxic that many of our children are growing up with lung problems. Londoners overwhelmingly supported my plans to introduce this £10 charge. I will continue to do everything in my power to help protect the health of Londoners and clean our filthy air." He says that the charge is in response to the air pollution which is a "public health crisis." Currently, over 9,000 people in London die prematurely each year due to long-term exposure to pollution. Enthusiasts may hate it, but it may be for the greater good.