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ULEZ EXTENSION THREAT TO ‘MODERN CLASSIC’ DEALERS Bid to improve air quality in the capital could see many customers of specialist workshops offloading their cherished cars to save on fee.
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lans by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to expand the city’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to most of Greater London are set to have an impact on specialists selling some of the UK’s most popular classic cars. It currently covers central London, and the move, which is set to come into force on August 29, 2023, has already been criticised because of its potential impact on low-income motorists, but it could also have a huge economic effect on specialists selling some of the most popular classic cars of the moment. According to Car & Classic – the UK’s biggest classic car sales and auction platform – values of 1980s cars have more than tripled in the past three years, while those from the 1990s are up by 180 per cent. The trend, described by C&C editor Chris Pollitt as ‘an evolution of nostalgia’ is down to cash-rich buyers in their 30s and 40s buying the cars they admired in their youth – iconic models such as the Peugeot 205 GTI, VW Golf Mk 2, Porsche 911 and Jaguar XJS. But if the ULEZ expands, then an extra four million motorists will be exposed to road charging of £12.50 a day to use their cars within the zone. Andy Spiteri, who runs SE Jags, a classic Jaguar specialist in Charlton that is already inside the ULEZ zone, said: ‘We already have to remind our customers with cars that have yet to reach the 40-year cut-off for ULEZ exemption that they may have to pay £12.50 to bring their car to our workshop and the same again to drive it home afterwards, and while it’s a bitter pill to swallow most of them understand. ‘If the ULEZ expands. then a lot of our customers, who live in the outer reaches of London and can still enjoy their cars as they rarely venture into the inner part of the city, will be forced to get rid of them and the impact on our business will be significant. ‘A lot of them drive 1990s classics such as XK sports cars or XJ saloons, and nobody is going to pay £12.50 every time they want to take their cherished car out for a drive.’ Campaigners are calling for the reintroduction of a 25-year exemption for classic cars or for a tax system similar to that in Germany, where owners of ‘old-timers’ who agree to cover a limited mileage are exempt from congestion charging. Nigel Hemmaway from the Association of British Drivers said: “The issue here isn’t about air pollution – London will be better off without badly maintained older cars and vans that belch out smoke. But a well-maintained and cherished enthusiast-owned car shouldn’t be tarred with the same brush. It’s very different. It’s not part of that equation.’ Meanwhile, owners are already bidding goodbye to their cherished classics. Michael Koby, who lives in Hendon, north-west London, recently sold his 1995 BMW 520i via a Car & 16 | CarDealerMag.co.uk
We already have to remind our customers with cars that have yet to reach the 40-year cut-off for ULEZ exemption that they may have to pay £12.50 to bring their car here and the same again to drive it home afterwards. Andy Spiteri Owner of SE Jags
