Toyota Aygo, Yaris and Prius exempt from revised London Congestion Charge
It didn't take long for automakers to respond to the official announcement yesterday about the changes to the London Congestion Charge. Now that cars that emit less than 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer will be exempted from the charges that go into effect in October, Toyota has put out a press release highlighting that the Aygo and the Yaris diesel will join the Prius as "Freemen of London." The three cars emit either 104 (Prius), 109 (Aygo) or 119 (Yaris diesel) grams per km. Details in the release after the jump.
Why do I get the feeling we'll hear a lot more about which cars qualify as "Freemen" soon?
[Source: Toyota]
Press Release:
AYGO AND DIESEL YARIS JOIN PRIUS AS "FREEMEN OF LONDON"
Low emissions qualify for new congestion charge exemption
Changes to the Central London Congestion Charge announced today open the way for even more Toyota vehicles to travel in the capital for free. From 27 October, cars in bands A and B for Vehicle Excise Duty – those emitting less than 120g/km of carbon dioxide – will receive a 100 per cent discount.
As a master of small car design and clean engine technology, Toyota is well placed to benefit from the adjustment. All Aygo and diesel-powered Yaris models will join the hybrid power Prius as charge-busting vehicles.
In all there are 35 Toyota models that are charge-exempt, when different body styles, transmissions and specifications are taken into account. And the even better news is that Toyota's product strategy promises more low emissions models in the not-too-distant future.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Throwback 3:39PM (2/13/2008)
If it is a "congestion" charge why does it matter what the vehicle emits? Does a Prius create less congestion than a Corolla? they could at least be honest and say we are charging you based on the emissions of your car.
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 5:52PM (2/13/2008)
Well, a VW Touareg creates more congestion than a Toyota Aygo I'd say......
The difference in footprints is absurd. Given a certain street length it takes much fewer cars for the street to be jammed if these are monstrous SUVs. Besides that it takes just one tractor sometimes to block certain streets. In Europe there are a lot of streets that simply weren't designed for these monsters. I'm not only referring to a lot of beautiful Renaissance cities (i.e. Italy, France , Spain etc). Even more modern city centers usually weren't designed for monsters.
Beyond that congestion is also linked to smog and health issues. A street full of tractors in a traffic jam does a hell of a lot of damage. The difference in particulates, CO2 and other emissions between a large SUV and a European A or even B segment car is often between 2 and 4 times depending on the particular emission.....
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Throwback 8:24PM (2/13/2008)
So does a Prius create less congestion than a Corolla?
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 10:22PM (2/13/2008)
No idea. But I think the point is more that both are much better than a tractor and that is what is being dealt with in several European cities.
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spw 6:50AM (2/14/2008)
it is obviously congestion and pollution as congestion creates pollution and thats the main problem here.
So yeah, just from CO2 perspective, Prius creates 50% less pollution than average diesel and lets not even mention particle emissions which is what actually forms smog in european cities.
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Dee 1:24PM (2/15/2008)
Hi wandered if you can tell me what I should do now have just received my mobility allowance and want to get a car suitable to carry my wheelchair but I live in Westminster will I still get my exemption as a disabled person and which vehicle fits the criteria betterIs this just another way of making my life more complex help!
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Dee 5:29AM (2/16/2008)
Hi wandered if you can tell me what I should do now have just received my mobility allowance and want to get a car suitable to carry my wheelchair but I live in Westminster will I still get my exemption as a disabled person and which vehicle fits the criteria betterIs this just another way of making my life more complex help!
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sally 11:41AM (6/08/2008)
Hopefully, we can have similar policies in the States. Right now, we just have the Yaris and Prius, it would be nice to have the Aygo or Toyota iQ.
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