Why is the BMW 330e plug-in hybrid zero road tax?

How is it that the new BMW 330e plug-in hybrid variant can be zero tax rated when after 25 miles it has to run on its petrol engine when my BMW i3 can do up to 140 miles on its battery and only then starts its little petrol generator to charge the battery for up to another 60 miles to get it to a charging station? The petrol powered generator does not drive the car just charges the battery. This is totally irrational and surely cannot be justified.

Asked on 3 May 2022 by Johnd44

Answered by Dan Powell

The road tax VED system before 2017 was based on tailpipe CO2 emission levels. This was designed to lower the UK's CO2 output. As a result, millions of diesel and hybrid cars registered before this cut off date qualify for free VED if their CO2 level is lower than 100g/km.

The road tax system was changed in 2017 as the higher diesel car take-up results in dangerously poor air quality in the UK's towns and cities. That means only pure electric cars registered from 2017 onwards qualify for free VED, with hybrids and plug-in hybrids paying an annual fee: www.honestjohn.co.uk/cheap-road-tax/

Tags: road tax ved

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