Ford Focus (1998 - 2004) - V5C incorrect tax class

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Fri 9 Jan 2009 19:47
V5C incorrect tax class - mojolicious
First time caller here. Apologies if this has been addressed elsewhere on the forum/site, but I did look. Honest.

Bought a Focus 1.8 TDdi estate, first reg 1/3/01, just before Christmas. The dealer MOT-ed and taxed the car upon the sale. On getting home I noticed the tax was £101.75 for six months...

Waited for the V5C to arrive, and there it is: the car has a taxation class of PLG rather than 'diesel car'. Emailed the DVLA and got this response:

After investigation it appears when the vehicle was registered the CO2 emissions figure was not provided therefore the vehicle fell into the Private Light Goods taxation class instead of the Diesel Car taxation class.

To have your registration certificate amended please highlight the error on the document and return, with a covering letter from the manufacturer/dealer confirming the CO2 emissions figure, to the following address.

Now... this is a Ford Duratec 1.8 90PS engine. There must be a million out there. There must be tens of thousands of 'identical' Focus estates out there. The DVLA know more about this car than I do: the V5C lists make / model / variant / version, together with a full set of exhaust emissions (sections V1 > V5).

Is it really necessary for me to approach Ford for a covering letter, or is there an easier way of doing this?

Thanking you in anticipation...
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Fri 9 Jan 2009 21:59
V5C incorrect tax class - martint123
Get the dealer to do it.
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Sat 10 Jan 2009 00:31
V5C incorrect tax class - mojolicious
Hmmm.

I did note the 'dealer' bit, but felt it was probably a stock response which failed to take account of it being an eight year old banger* from Dave The Dealer rather than a shiny 58 plate from Dagenham Motors.

Are you saying that because 'they' said it, or from experience/knowledge?



* actually it's VGC and it's rather lovely so far

Edited by mojolicious on 10/01/2009 at 00:33

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Sat 10 Jan 2009 07:38
V5C incorrect tax class - L'escargot
Isn't the CO2 emissions figure in the Owner's Guide?
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Sat 10 Jan 2009 10:48
V5C incorrect tax class - mojolicious
This is true. Handbook states 134 g/km on 185/65 R14s. Doesn't offer any trim-specific info or AC adjustment, but hopefully that'll be enough for them.

As I said in the original post the DVLA have values for both 'variant' and 'version', so you'd think they know all there is to know about the vehicle.

I guess the sticking point is that the V5C emissions are listed in g/kWh rather than g/km format, and the values can't be directly compared: g/kWh is an engine-only bench test rather than a 'driving test'. As you asked. ;-)

Okay, will return to the DVLA with the handbook info and will report back on their response.
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