Changes towards the London Congestion Charge mean that vehicles which fall above the 75g / km CO2 emissions threshold will soon be charged for going straight into the capital. Now standing at £10 each day, the fee is levied on motorists who go into the area bounded by London’s inner ring road on weekdays between 7am and 6pm. People who fail to pay out up risk getting their number plate snapped from the ANPR cameras that surround the zone, and paying a £130 fine. Since 2008, cars with emissions of lower than 100g / km CO2 happen to be exempted coming from the charge. Using this month, however, a number of those vehicles place above the new threshold, and thus may have to pay out the charge. Worry not, however, since the Government has implemented a 'sunset period' lasting until July 2016 for all those owners to either pay up, or find a brand new car.
If you‘re in the marketplace for any super-frugal, congestion charge-beating car, here is Autocar's top picks. 1. Citroen C-Zero / Mitsubishi i-Miev / Peugeot iOn - £25, 486 / £28, 990 / £25, 500 – 0g / km CO2These triplets are driven by chassis from the Mitsubishi i-Miev. Just like Mitsubishi's city car the small footprint, good visibility and tight turning circles found during these models get them to ideal to the city. The 63bhp electric motor inside the i-Miev provides good acceleration to 30mph but isn’t in your own home outside of stop-start city traffic. Faster driving, especially in winter, will see a signification reduction coming from the claimed choice of 93 miles. 2. Nissan Leaf - £25, 990 – 0g / km CO2The Nissan Leaf enjoys high levels of comfort and refinement, despite losing a number of its space to large battery packs. Equipment features a sat-nav that shows charging points down the route, and air conditioning that may be controlled from the smartphone.
The next generation version includes a claimed choice of 124 miles, and can also be fully recharged in just four hours when employing a fast-charger. 3. Renault Twizy - £6795 – 0g / km CO2Officially, the Renault Twizy is classed like a quadricycle rather when compared to a car. Having a top speed of 50mph, and also a choice of just 50 miles, it’s definitely made for the city. Windows, as well as doors, are optional extras, while luxuries like air-conditioning, a heater as well as a radio just aren’t available. But when any car deserves the label ‘go-kart handling’, it’s this. Just what the car lacks in practicality, it makes up for in fun and personality. 4. Renault Fluence - £17, 495 – 0g / km CO2The Fluence is section of Renault’s four-pronged electric vehicle line-up, together with the Twizy, Zoe, and electric Kangoo Van. It‘s strong acceleration, but is limited to 84mph to conserve energy. The 1605kg weight means it’s not suited to sporty driving, but instead encourages a far more relaxed style. The range is 125 miles, and also a full charge costs lower than £3. 5. Renault Zoe - £17, 793 – 0g / km CO2With the UK’s preference of hatchbacks over saloons, Renault expects the Zoe to become a stronger seller here. 0-62mph takes 13. 5 seconds, but using that acceleration the entire time won’t see you achieve the claimed 130 mile range.
Handling is tidy, but those heavy batteries bring the load to 1, 468kg, making this an important supermini. 6. Smart ED - £15, 395– 0g / km CO2The second generation Smart ED is appreciably more accomplished than its predecessor. With 140kg to lug around, and merely 40bhp to carry out it, it isn’t quick from the line, however the seamless torque causes it to be a cinch to drive in town. Charging the batteries works out with a mere £1, but that’ll only help you get 60 miles before you have to plug it in again. 7. Tesla Model S - £TBA – 0g / km CO2The Model S is that the only car for this list that’ll seat seven, and does so using the addition of the 2 optional rear jump seats. Without having the extra seating, the level of the front and rear boots adds up to some massive 820 litres. This car can be as fast as it‘s practical – with 416bhp, it reaches 62mph in 4. 2 seconds using the 85kWh cell. Range is between 230 and 300 miles, counting on selection of battery. 8. Chevrolet Volt / Vauxhall Ampera - £35, 255 / £34, 995 - 27g / kmThe Vauxhall Ampera is really a rebadged version of Chevrolet’s Volt, although both models take presctiption sale inside the UK.
The car includes a real-world choice of 33 miles, but when the batteries are from juice a petrol engine cuts in to recharge them, all totally seamlessly. Daily driving can therefore be done on electricity alone (a full recharge costs about £1 ), but longer journeys could be completed with no range anxiety. 9. Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid - £48, 775 – 48g / kmThe V60 Plug-In Hybrid works inside a similar method to the Volt but, rather than a petrol motor, includes a 212bph, 2. 4 litre turbodiesel. It could be driven like a pure electric car, or with both the diesel engine and electric motor working together. Unfortunately the low-resistance tyres result in the ride too firm, and also the Hybrid’s 250kg weight penalty makes itself felt. 10.
Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid - £33, 245 - 59g / kmIt may look as a normal Prius, however the plug-in version enables it to become charged coming from the mains, and travel 12. 5 miles on electric power alone. The car is brisk and nimble and, like a normal Prius, the switchover between petrol and electric power is imperceptible. There‘s, however, a £12, 000 premium during the normal Prius. 11. Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid - £88, 967 - 71g / kmUnlike the old Panamera Hybrid, the E-Hybrid features a lithium-ion battery and a chance to charge coming from the mains. It now weighs a hefty 2095kg, but nonetheless cracks 62mph in 5. 5 seconds. It may complete as much as 22 miles on battery power until the petrol engine cuts in, but top speed is limited to 84mph when running on pure electric power. James Lewis-Barned London Congestion Charge-free cars.
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