The return to work for thousands of Londoners this week was ushered in alongside new regulations for the emissions that their vehicles were allowed to pump into the atmosphere under Euro 3 regulations.
Not that the new legislation bans large van and minibus drivers from using the capital’s roads, just that if their vehicles are tested and found to not comply, they will face an on the spot fine of £100.
There has never been a bigger incentive for drivers to reduce their carbon footprint than racking up this bill, which is not cheap; every non-compliant vehicle could feasibly rack up fines of £500/week. Of course, once you’re caught once, you will be on the radar increasing the likelihood of becoming a repeat offender.
This could be a big payday for the department in charge of monitoring and handing out the fines, based on evidence gathered by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Their study into the 3.5 million registered vans on UK roads revealed that more than 3 in 10 of these commercial vehicles were not up to scratch in relation to the Euro 3 emission acceptable output.
Deeper studies into those non-compliant vans shows that, of the 31% who fall into the fail category, almost 85,000 were registered in London.
Recent new fleet van figures reflect the change
The move to renew vans which meet Euro 3 stipulation has already begun, according to the figures released at the end of 2011.
Whilst the domestic market for new vehicles is still falling, although at a lower rate in the last six months of 2011 than previous, investment in fleet vehicles remains buoyant and has helped support the UK automotive market througout a tricky 2011.
What does the LEZ have to do with van Insurance?
There are two factors that van insurance brokers may take into consideration if you confirm that your van meets with new LEZ thresholds.
You obviously take your business seriously; along with fitting security devices and even having your logo on the vans panels shows your broker you are not easily going to jeopardise your livelihood, aspects helping to reduce your van insurance quote.
Also, your van will be a newer model by buying new to meet the regulations, hence, should you have a breakdown and you have taken out breakdown cover as an ancillary to your base van insurance policy, newer parts theoretically are more abundant from stockists, easier to replace, enabling them to replace them and you to get back on the road with less delay.
If you are considering buying a new van, especially to get around London to escape possible £2,000/month fines (a new van, especially an electric-powered one, could pay for itself in less than six months, based on running the risk of £100/day fines), why not check out the comparative prices for the same cover as your existing van on our site.
Get your relevant information around you and you can have a new, probably cheaper van insurance quote in minutes.