Will WLTP affect how much car tax I pay?

The move to the new WLTP test should not negatively impact vehicle taxation by increasing costs for the consumers. After all, the vehicle’s performance is not affected by the transition to Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure. However, WLTP will result in a higher g/km CO2 value for a specific vehicle compared to NEDC, simply because it is more rigorous than the old test.

In the transitional period, some cars in the market will only have NEDC-CO2 values, whereas the most recently approved cars will have both WLTP and correlated NEDC-CO2 values.

For example, as of September 2017 one car model might still have a value of 100g CO2/km using the old NEDC test, but a recently approved car might come in at around 120g CO2/km under the new WLTP test.

The cars are nearly identical, except one has the latest test results. It is quite clear which one the consumer would choose if a country’s CO2-tax scheme were to remain unchanged. This would lead to a very anti-competitive situation in the market, and result in confusion for consumers.

To that end, national governments need to ensure that CO2-based taxation will be fair. If they fail to do so, the introduction of the new test procedure will increase the financial burden on consumers.

As taxation is a national competence, consumers are invited to contact their national automobile associations for more details on how this will be handled in their country.

Transition Timeline: From NEDC to WLTP

  • Cars type approved using NEDC before September 2017 can still be sold.
  • WLTP type approval testing will be introduced for new car types.
  • Some cars will have ‘old’ NEDC values, while others will already be certified under the new WLTP conditions.
  • The industry would like to start using WLTP-based results for general consumer information (eg sales brochures and websites).
  • During the period of transition (up until the end of 2018), only NEDC values should be used on labels and information in dealerships to enable consumers to compare different cars.
  • It is expected that national tax regulations will continue to be based on NEDC values.

The same car suddenly has two different CO2 values, why is this?

The NEDC value of a car suddenly increased, what happened?

  • All new cars must be certified according to the WLTP test procedure, and no longer on NEDC.
  • An exception should be made for end-of-series vehicles to allow for a limited number of unsold vehicles in stock that were approved under the old NEDC test to be sold for one more year.

Will my fuel consumption increase under WLTP?

  • All cars in dealerships should have WLTP-CO2 values only to avoid any confusion among consumers, in the view of the automobile industry.
  • National governments should adjust vehicle taxation and fiscal incentives to WLTP values, respecting the principle that WLTP should not have a negative impact on consumers.

Will WLTP affect how much car tax I pay?

The same car suddenly has two different CO2 values, why is this?

  • The European Commission will convert today’s (NEDC-based) CO2 targets to specific WLTP-CO2 targets of comparable stringency. These new WLTP targets will apply for monitoring car fleet compliance.

Will the new WLTP test affect CO2 targets?

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