Range-topping Vauxhall Astra Tourer and Grandland get PRICE CUT to beat VED changes | Cars UK

Vauxhall has reduced the price of the range-topping Astra Tourer and Grandland to under £40k to beat VED changes.

It’s April 1, and everything from water bills to Council Tax to energy is going up in price, as is VED, especially if you have an EV.

The big change – apart from a £10 first year cost and flat-rate £195 going forward for EVs – is that EVs are now subject to the ‘Expensive Car Tax’ which adds an additional £425 to the VED bill for five years for cars costing over £40k.

Perhaps, when the ‘Expensive Car Tax’ came in in 2017, a £40k price was at the upper end of affordability for most buyers, but it has stayed at the same level since then when it should, accounting for inflation, be more like £52k.

Now, the tax applies to all cars – including EVs – which means it kicks in for EVs below the average £48k an EV costs, arguably penalising EV owners unfairly.

To try and mitigate the added burden for EV owners, Vauxhall has cut prices so every EV it sells lists at under £40k, saving buyers £2,125 on VED alone, plus the saving from the previous price.

In reality, the price cut only affects two models – the Ultimate trim versions of the Astra ST and Grandland – which now sneak in under £40k as long as you don’t add options.

Eurig Druce, MD Vauxhall, said:

With electric cars no longer exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty, Vauxhall is making electric mobility accessible and affordable for British drivers. The Vauxhall electric car range now sits below the £40,000 Expensive Car Supplement threshold, saving customers some £2,125 in road tax over the first few years of ownership.