When we posted the information about the Dubai law change to ban 20 year old cars, we made the comment that we weren’t predicting it to happen here.
Well, it’s not happening, but the RAC Foundation, which describes itself on its website homepage as “The independent body established to take on the role of protecting the interest of the motorist” releases a report based on a study it conducted which comes to the conclusion that cars over 18 years old should be subject to a widespread scrappage scheme.

18 Years Old - And Off The Road

The research claims that in the UK, to reduce emissions, the ideal age to incentivise car scrappage would be for 17-18 year old cars. Such a scheme would remove most of the last non-catalytic cars. Incentivising the scrappage of younger cars would only result in payment being made for cars which are going to be scrapped in large numbers anyway.

The report makes interesting reading:
First it states that “Encouraging motorists to switch to newer models is a vital part of the fight to cut carbon emissions from road transport. The average new car emits 3.8% less carbon than just 12 months ago (158.6g/km, down from 164.9g/km at the end of 2007) and 16.4% less than the in 1997 (189.8g/km)”

Later it states that scrapped cars are not normally replaced by brand new models, but by vehicles typically three to four years younger than the ones scrapped.

So, the theory goes that a scrapped car is replaced by one that is ‘say’ 14 years old, that one is replaced by a 10 year old car and so on up then the 4 year old car is traded in for the New car.

The report’s environmental claims work on this level only if the chain follows through fully.

Although this logic is slightly dubious, the replacement ‘new car’ at the top of the chain would have to be an exact replacement sector for sector for the old one in other words a 1990 Fiesta could not be scrapped and replaced with a 1998 Volvo 850.

Also, the quoted figures for Carbon for the 1997 vehicle are not necessarily based in fact and those figures are not reliably available for vehicles manufactured prior to 2001, hence the VED classes.

Overall, a short sighted report, but this time not from an environmental group or Anti-Motorist lobby, but by “The independent body established to take on the role of protecting the interest of the motorist”.

Which interests are they then we wonder ?