17 February 2017
Sadiq Khan confirms that the new T-Charge will be introduced in central London in October.
8 March 2017
Spring Budget 2017 confirms that the Government will ‘continue to explore the appropriate tax treatment for diesel vehicles’, with changes likely to be announced in the Autumn Budget.
1 April 2017
The new system of VED applies to all cars registered from this date. First-year rates are based on CO2 emissions, with ULEVs facing much lower rates than other cars. Zero-emission cars are exempt from paying VED throughout their lives.
6 April 2017
The new tax rules for Optional Remuneration Arrangements, announced in Autumn Statement 2016, take effect.
24 April 2017
The Government applies to the High Court for an extension to the deadline for a new Air Quality Plan. The Court refuses the application and orders ministers to publish a draft by 9 May.
5 May 2017
The Government publishes a draft of its new Air Quality Plan for consultation. Alongside this, it also publishes a Clean Air Zone Framework for England.
5 July 2017
Volvo announces that, from 2019, every new car it launches will be an electric or hybrid vehicle.
26 July 2017
The Government publishes the final version of its new Air Quality Plan. It announces that sales of all new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans will end by 2040, and orders 29 local authorities to produce their own plans for reducing NO2 pollution. The Department for Transport also launches a consultation on proposals to encourage the uptake of electric vans.
1 September 2017
The new WLTP and RDE tests come into force. The WLTP is designed to produce a more accurate measure of a new car’s carbon dioxide emissions and fuel efficiency, while RDE aims to capture real-world emissions of NOx and other pollutants. From this date, all new models of car must pass these tests.
5 September 2017
The Scottish Government publishes its Programme for Scotland, which includes ‘a target to phase out the need for petrol and diesel vehicles by 2032’.
10 October 2017
The Scottish Government announces that Scotland’s first LEZ will be introduced in Glasgow by the end of 2018.
12 October 2017
The Government publishes its Clean Growth Strategy, setting out how it aims to bring down greenhouse gas emissions in line with established targets. The Strategy envisions a 29% reduction in transport emissions by 2032, ‘largely achieved by accelerating the shift to electric and other low emission vehicles’.
16 October 2017
Oxford City and County Councils launch a joint consultation on proposals to establish the world’s first Zero Emission Zone in the city centre.
23 October 2017
The T-Charge is introduced in central London. Vehicles that do not meet the Euro 4/IV emission standards must pay an extra £10 per day to drive within the Congestion Charge zone.
3 November 2017
Sadiq Khan confirms that the ULEZ will be introduced in central London in April 2019 – 17 months earlier than Boris Johnson had planned. Initially, it will cover the existing Congestion Charge zone.
22 November 2017
Autumn Budget 2017 reveals VED and CCT hikes for diesel cars, both to come into effect in April 2018. The Chancellor announces that, also from April 2018, employees will not have to pay any benefit-in-kind tax on the electricity they use to charge their vehicles at work. The Government also establishes a new £220 million ‘Clean Air Fund’ and launches a consultation on how
30 November 2017
Sadiq Khan launches a consultation on his proposals to toughen the emission standards for London’s LEZ for buses, coaches and HGVs in 2020, and then expand the ULEZ for all vehicles in 2021.
5 December 2017
The Welsh Government announces that it will publish a Clean Air Plan in 2018, which will include ‘a Clean Air Zone Framework to ensure the consistent and effective implementation of Clean Air Zones by Local Authorities, wherever they’re needed.’