Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the merits of amending vehicle excise duty so that the duty applicable is based on the emissions recorded at MOT tests.

MOT emissions tests are mainly used to check for dangerous levels of air quality pollutants, such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.

To help meet our legally binding climate change targets, Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is based on carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions which is not tested during MOTs.

A vehicle’s CO₂ emissions are tested under laboratory conditions at the point of manufacture. This provides an accurate figure which determines the rate of VED paid, allows comparisons to be made between models and encourages motorists to choose low CO₂ emitting options.