{"id":8281,"date":"2024-11-08T12:51:42","date_gmt":"2024-11-08T12:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/?p=8281"},"modified":"2025-02-27T00:24:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T00:24:23","slug":"the-mistake-that-could-cost-you-thousands-when-you-buy-a-used-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/the-mistake-that-could-cost-you-thousands-when-you-buy-a-used-car\/","title":{"rendered":"The mistake that could cost you thousands when you buy a used car"},"content":{"rendered":"

It probably comes as no surprise to learn that the UK\u2019s second hand vehicle market continues to grow<\/strong><\/a>, as the ongoing cost of living crisis causes countless people across the UK to avoid the more expensive new car market, and go for more budget-friendly options instead. If you\u2019re considering a used car yourself though, there are a couple of key factors to bear in mind to ensure that you\u2019re not buying what they call a lemon.<\/p>\n

Now, some of those checks are fairly common knowledge \u2013 you may already know about an HPI, for example \u2013 but there\u2019s one particular factor that\u2019s more important than ever\u2026 and it\u2019s one that a lot of drivers forget.<\/p>\n

Check that your car is emissions-compliant<\/h2>\n

With the climate crisis now more urgent than ever, Low Emissions Zones now play an ever-larger role in the lives of everyday motorists. Essentially, if you live near a Low Emissions Zone or an Ultra Low Emissions Zone, or you know that you\u2019re likely to be driving through one, then you\u2019ll need to check that the car you\u2019re planning on buying is compliant with the restrictions of your local zone.<\/p>\n

Emissions zones are becoming increasingly common in major city centres (which are typically hotbeds of air pollution due to their higher concentrations of traffic). Some of the most high profile ones include massive cities like London and Birmingham, but they\u2019re also present in Sheffield, Bath, and Bristol.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve explained Low Emissions Zones in more detail before here on the blog, but to quickly recap it in a nutshell, the idea is to encourage the purchase of newer, cleaner vehicles by charging non-compliant ones an entry fee. The amount varies, but it\u2019s potentially up to \u00a312.50 per day.<\/p>\n

How do the charges work?<\/h2>\n

The wording on the legislation around these daily charges is very specific \u2013 essentially, it allows authorities to charge vehicles not just for entering the zone, but just being present within its boundaries. It might not sound like a major difference, but it\u2019s very significant.<\/p>\n

That means in any instance in which your car travels into the zone and leaves on the same day, then obviously you\u2019ll only have to pay the daily charge for that day.<\/p>\n

If you travel into the zone and leave on the next day, then you\u2019ll have to pay the daily charge for both days.<\/p>\n

However, the charges also apply if your car is parked up within the zone too, even if you didn\u2019t move it at all during the day. So if you travelled in on Friday and parked up, then didn\u2019t move the car at all on Saturday, and then drove out on Monday, you\u2019d have to pay the daily charge for all three days \u2013 because your car would have been present within the zone for all that time, even if it didn\u2019t move at all on the Saturday.<\/p>\n

So you can already see how these charges can start to rack up!<\/p>\n

How can I avoid being caught out?<\/h2>\n

The easiest way is simply by making sure you do enough research in the interim. Newer cars are manufactured to generally stricter environmental standards, but older cars often don\u2019t share these emissions standards, especially if they\u2019re anything more than a couple of years old.<\/p>\n

So, you\u2019ll need to check the requirements for your local Low Emissions Zones (assuming you have any), as well as any that you think you\u2019ll be travelling to often. For example, if you know you\u2019ll be going back and forth to London a lot.<\/p>\n

There are four classes of Clean Air Zone \u2013 A through to D. (You\u2019d think that A is the strictest and D is the most lax, but it\u2019s actually the other way around!)<\/p>\n

Class A Clean Air Zones<\/h3>\n

Restrictions apply only to buses, coaches, taxis, and private hire vehicles. They do not apply to privately owned cars (like yours).<\/p>\n

Class B Clean Air Zones<\/h3>\n

The restrictions apply to buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, as well as heavy goods vehicles. Example cities:<\/p>\n