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In a rare piece of good news for motorists, the beginning of 2011 saw a change to the London Congestion Charge that could see some drivers now (legally) avoiding the fee altogether.



The new Greener Vehicle Discount, which replaces the Alternative Fuel Discount, means that more cars will potentially qualify for 100% off the daily charge.



Naturally, there are a couple of caveats that come attached with this generous gesture from Transport for London.



The first is that the vehicle needs to be ‘green’. More precisely, it should be Euro 5 emissions compliant and produce 100 grams of CO2 per kilometre or less.



Secondly, if you already own such an eco-friendly machine, don’t presume that you can just swan about in central London and not worry about the Congestion Charge. To receive the Greener Vehicle Discount, a car must first be registered with Transport for London, and that involves a £10 annual payment.



So, what cars will qualify for the Greener Vehicle Discount? According to the Vehicle Certification Agency, the models that currently meet the criteria are:

Manufacturer	Model	Specification	Transmission	Fuel	CO2 g/km
Audi	A3	1.6 TDI 105PS Stop Start	M5	Diesel	99
Citroën	DS3	1.6HDi 90hp w/ energy saving tyres	M5	Diesel	99
Citroën	New C3	1.6HDi 90hp Airdream+	M5	Diesel	99
Fiat	500 / 500C (2010 on)	TwinAir	M5	Petrol	95
Fiat	500 / 500C (2010 on)	TwinAir Dualogic	SAT5	Petrol	92
Fiat	Punto Evo (Jan 2010 on)	1.3 16v MultiJet 85 ECO	M5	Diesel	95
Ford	Fiesta (Post 2010¼)	1.6 Duratorq 95PS +DPF ECO	M5	Diesel	98
Hyundai	i10	1.0l SOHC	M5	Petrol	99
Mini	Hatchback	One D w/ DPF	M6	Diesel	99
Mini	Hatchback	Cooper D w/ DPF	M6	Diesel	99
Seat	Ibiza	ST 1.2 CR TDI 75PS Ecomotive	M5	Diesel	92
Seat	Leon	1.6 CR TDI 105PS Ecomotive	M5	Diesel	99
Skoda	New Fabia Hatch	1.2 CR TDI 75PS GreenLine II	M5	Diesel	89
Skoda	New Fabia Estate	1.2 CR TDI 75PS GreenLine II	M5	Diesel	89
Skoda	New Fabia Estate	1.2 TDI 3 cylinder 75PS GreenLine	M5	Diesel	89
Smart	fortwo cabrio (MY 2011)	54 bhp cdi w/ Softip & 15" rear wheels	5 AMT	Diesel	86
Smart	fortwo cabrio (MY 2011)	54 bhp cdi w/ Softouch & 15" rear wheels	5 AMT	Diesel	87
Smart	fortwo cabrio (MY 2011)	71 bhp mhd w/ Softip & 15" rear wheels	5 AMT	Petrol	99
Smart	fortwo cabrio (MY 2011)	71 bhp mhd w/ Softouch & 15" rear wheels	5 AMT	Petrol	100
Smart	fortwo coupé (MY 2011)	54 bhp cdi w/ Softip & 15" rear wheels	5 AMT	Diesel	86
Smart	fortwo coupé (MY 2011)	54 bhp cdi w/ Softouch & 15" rear wheels	5 AMT	Diesel	87
Smart	fortwo coupé (MY 2011)	71 bhp mhd w/ Softip & 15" rear wheels	5 AMT	Petrol	97
Smart	fortwo coupé (MY 2011)	71 bhp mhd w/ Softouch & 15" rear wheels	5 AMT	Petrol	98
Toyota	iQ (MY 2011)	1.0 VVT-i	M5	Petrol	99
Toyota	Auris Hybrid (MY 2010)	T4 89g 1.8 VVT-i	E-CVT	Petrol Hybrid	89
Toyota	Auris Hybrid (MY 2010)	T4 1.8 VVT-i	E-CVT	Petrol Hybrid	93
Toyota	Auris Hybrid (MY 2010)	T Spirit 1.8 VVT-i	E-CVT	Petrol Hybrid	93
Toyota	Prius (MY 2009)	T4 1.8 VVT-I	E-CVT	Petrol Hybrid	92
Toyota	Prius (MY 2009)	T3 1.8VVT-I	E-CVT	Petrol Hybrid	89
Toyota	Prius (MY 2009)	T Spirit 1.8 VVT-I	E-CVT	Petrol Hybrid	92
Toyota	Prius (MY 2009)	T Spirit w/ Solar Panel 1.8VVT-I	E-CVT	Petrol Hybrid	89
Volkswagen	New Polo	1.2 TDI 75PS BlueMotion	M5	Diesel	89
Volkswagen	New Golf	1.6 TDI 105PS BlueMotion	M5	Diesel	99
Volvo	C30 (MY 2011)	DRIVe	M6	Diesel	99
Volvo	C30 (MY 2011)	DRIVe	M6	Diesel	99
Volvo	S40 (MY 2010)	DRIVe	M6	Diesel	99
Volvo	S40 (MY 2011)	DRIVe	M6	Diesel	99
Volvo	V50 (MY 2011)	DRIVe	M6	Diesel	99
NB: Electric and plug-in hybrid cars aren’t eligible for the Greener Vehicle Discount - they have their own discount scheme.

It’s worth bearing in mind that Transport for London has committed to review the Greener Vehicle Discount in the future, so that eventually only vehicles emitting 80 g/km or less qualify. This tweak will be introduced ‘when the time is right’, but the first reassessment of the discount has been confirmed for 2012.



And finally, the area covered by the Congestion Charge is now much smaller, following the scrapping of the Western Extension zone on 4th January 2011:





Related posts:

Congestion Charge change

London Congestion Charge