Family SUVs face road tax hikes under new proposals pushed by Labour politicians
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Family SUVs could be targeted with hikes in road tax and parking permits under proposals being pushed for by Labour politicians.
The call for higher levies on large SUVs, often chosen by families for their space, came from Labour and Green party members of the London Assembly.
The motion was passed this week amid concerns about 'car-spreading' – where more road space is taken up by larger vehicles – and calls on London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan to write to the Treasury and ask for vehicle excise duty (VED, or road tax) to incorporate a 'progressive' element that includes the vehicle's weight.
If introduced, this would mean SUV-driving families in the UK face being hit with much larger road tax bills.
Many SUV drivers already pay £600 for the first five years on new models under the premium car tax fee, which levies more against vehicles worth over £40,000.
The standard road tax rate is £195 per year.
Family SUVs could be targeted with hikes in road tax and parking permits under proposals being pushed for by Labour politicians (Stock Image)
The motion was passed this week and calls on London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan (above) to write to the Treasury and ask for vehicle excise duty to incorporate a 'progressive' element that includes the vehicle's weight
AA President Edmund King (above) criticised Labour's declaration of war on drivers
The motion also asked London councils to look at hiking the cost of parking permits in the capital for SUVs, so as 'to account for pressure they put on road space and local parking spaces'.
But critics accused Labour of declaring war on drivers, with AA president Edmund King, saying: 'It is up to Londoners to choose the type of vehicle that best fulfils their needs.'
Sir Siddiq's office was approached for comment.
SUVs are the best-selling body type of new car.
A third of new cars entering the road last year were 'Chelsea Tractors', overtaking superminis - which have dominated UK sales for decades - as the best-selling segment for the first time on record.
SUVs accounted for 33 per cent of all registrations in 2024, up from just 12 per cent a decade earlier, according to Britain's auto trade body.
The sales statistics also show that eight of the ten most commonly bought new cars last year were crossovers or 4X4s as once-popular conventional hatchbacks and saloons fell down the pecking order.
SUVs might be popular but local authorities across the UK are considering implementing additional parking charges and bans on models deemed too large for bays and too polluting for urban areas...
SUVs now account for more than half of all car options on sale in Britain in 2025.
There are 193 different SUV and 'crossover' (conventional hatchbacks with increased ride height) variations across the 35 most popular brands sold in the UK in 2025. This is an uplift of 543 per cent compared to 2000 when just 35 SUV variants were available, a comprehensive review of the new car market revealed in May.
Online marketplace CarGurus also found that every mainstream maker now offers at least one SUV in their vehicle line-ups, with most (three in five) having at least five different jacked-up options. In 2000, less than half of manufacturers sold a single SUV.
The three most in-demand premium German marques - Audi, BMW and Mercedes - now have 46 SUV options to pick from, as they offer far more SUV options than rival manufacturers.
This SUV saturation of the market has angered eco and safety campaigners who in recent months have raised major concerns about them being more polluting, overcrowding streets, being too large for parking spaces, creating potholes and increasing risk to pedestrians, cyclists and particularly children.
However, the transition to electric cars is partly responsible for the growth in EV options as makers find themselves embroiled in a 'range race' to produce models that can be driven furthest between charges.
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