LEZ affects vans too
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Owners of pre-Euro-3 vans will either have to have a suitable particulate filter fitted – or buy a vehicle that complies
Words: Steve Banner Van owners who blithely assume that tougher rules governing the operation of the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) due to come into force early next year will only apply to heavy truck operators are in for an unpleasant surprise. That is because from 3 January 2012 onwards, diesel light commercials entering the LEZ will have to meet the Euro-3 particulate standard. Those that do not will attract a £100 daily levy with a £500 penalty notice in prospect if the charge is not paid.
Cameras will spot vans that do not comply with the new regulations. Those that were registered as new on or after 1 January 2002 should receive a clean bill of health. Older vehicles will not. As a consequence, owners of pre-Euro-3 light commercials that wish to go in and out of the LEZ are faced with a stark choice. They will either have to have a suitable particulate ilter itted to their existing van so that it complies – a list of approved suppliers can be found on the Transport for London (TfL) web site – or buy a vehicle that already does. With prices starting at around £1,500, and potentially rising to as much as £5,000 depending on the vehicle, having a ilter itted is not a cheap option. It may not be a cost-effective one either given that the van concerned will be 10 years old when the January deadline arrives.
Pricey filters
In some cases the ilter may be worth more than the van itself. “We’re getting more inquiries from van owners about getting ilters installed than we expected to, but as soon as we mention the price, the conversation usually grinds to a halt,” says Rogier van der Ouderaa, general manager at ilter supplier Dinex. He suspects the only operators that will be able to justify going down that route will be those with light commercials itted with special equipment of some description, that gives them a higher value than their run-of-the-mill counterparts. It is a view shared by Kathye-Ann Henderson, marketing manager at Eminox, another leading ilter supplier. She reports that enquiries from light commercial operators are at a low level at present. Partly this may be because many of them are planning to purchase compliant vehicles, she suggests, if they have not already done so. More worryingly, she adds, it may simply be because they are unaware that the LEZ change is going to take place. “Their assumption may be that because they haven’t been affected by the LEZ before, they don’t need to worry about it now,” she remarks.
If they are aware, and they want to get a ilter itted, then they would do well to place their orders as soon as possible, say van der Ouderaa and Henderson. Each ilter is made speciically for the van it is going to be itted to, rather than pulled off the shelf, says Henderson, and at present the lead time is around ive weeks. “That’s going to lengthen though,” she warns. “If you leave it until the autumn before you inally decide, then you may not get your ilter installed in time.” So why not buy a brand-new van instead? With the encouragement of Mayor of London Boris Johnson, a number of manufacturers have introduced scrappage schemes to prompt operators to ditch their non-compliant van in favour of a new one. Vauxhall’s is one of the most generous, with up to £7,500 knocked off the list price of a new Movano. If that is the route you are planning to go, however, then do not neglect to read the small print. Some deals are open solely to operators that have received written notiication from TfL that their vans will not comply. Others state that the offer cannot be combined with any other special discount deals that may be running at the time, while some schemes exclude certain models or are only available through a limited number of dealers.
Heads in hands
Manufacturers and dealers have not exactly been trampled in the rush to take up these offers. Ford says its scheme has only generated around 20 sales to date. “Our sales are into double igures, but the number is small,” says Renault. “We’ve had lots of expressions of interest, but we haven’t been inundated with orders, although it’s early days,” says Peugeot. “Our offer has been received well, but we don’t know how many vans we’ve sold as a consequence, because we’ve yet to analyse the sales igures,” says Vauxhall. All the manufacturers are hoping that demand will build as the months roll by. “We’re expecting the bulk of our LEZ business to be done towards the end of the year as customers realise how much of an impact the change is going to have on them,” says Ford. “I suspect that at the moment a lot of operators are putting their heads in their hands and hoping it will all go away,” van der Ouderaa remarks.
If you are relying on a nineto 10-year-old van to operate your business, however, then it is probably fair to assume that you are on a tight budget. Even with a generous discount, you may still ind it dificult to afford a new one. And that is assuming you can get the inance.
The answer, so far as many businesses are concerned, will be to buy a used Euro-3/4 one instead, contends Alex Wright, MD of Shoreham Vehicle Auctions.
Demand for light commercials registered from 2005 to 2007 in particular is starting to rise strongly as a result, he reports. Vehicles of that age will be LEZcompliant, will still have some useful working life left in them, but remain affordable, although prices are starting to climb.
“We recently sold a 56-plate short-wheelbase Ford Transit Connect with 55,000 miles recorded for £2,700,” he reports. “A 57-plate example that had covered 82,000 miles went for £4,000.” So does that mean the purchaser’s old Euro-2 van is now unsaleable? Not a bit of it, Wright replies.
“A local plumber or carpenter down in the West Country will happily buy it,” he says. “After all, he’s unlikely to want to drive it all the way to London.” ■