Euro 4 emissions standards and clean air zones

[charlier6790]

I previously posted on this subject in January. I have since established that my wife's 2004 3-litre X Type is a "clean" Euro 4 car whilst my 2003 model is a "dirty" Euro 3 car. That means I must pay a penalty charge to drive into nearby Bristol (or London, Birmingham and many other towns and cities). A check of the V5 registration documents show that both cars are almost identical in terms of CO, HC and CO2 emissions and, only in relation to NOx, does the "dirty" car show a slightly higher figure.

Jaguar used these V6 engines for many years from the late 1990s (in X Types, S Types and XJs) with the engines meeting first Euro 1 standards and, subsequently, Euro 2, Euro 3 and Euro 4. I suspect that Jaguar met increasingly tougher emissions standards by ECU/fueling tweaks rather than major engine modifications. So my question is - can pre-Euro 4 cars be modified to meet the later standards and what does that involve? Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Dave Eynon]

Hi,
I am quite sure that modifications can be made if there are any differences between Euro 3 and Euro 4 classification cars, however the issue would be that your vehicle would need to be changed on the DVLA database which may not be possible.
Does anyone know what is involved with getting a car so modified reclassified?
It seems further restrictions is all part of the grand plan to get petrol and diesel powered cars off the road. Cars not old enough to achieve Historic tax class are vulnerable to being effectively forced off the road due to ever more stringent rules aimed to improve air quality and reduce CO2 emissions, these are the times we are living in. Fortunately our interest is represented at parliament so maybe there will be a happy outcome that we can live with. All we can do is continue to support these organisations that represent us through our club membership etc.

[charlier6790]

Thanks for that helpful response. There seems to be some good news and some bad news! First, the good news. It seems, according to the Gov.uk and TFL websites that my Euro 3 car is exempt from ULEZ and other clean air zone charges. I can only assume that is because, although not actually certified as Euro 4 compliant (Euro 4 didn't exist in 2003 when it was registered), its emissions are sufficiently low for it to be treated as Euro 4 compliant. Possibly owners of some other Euro 3 cars (or even Euro 1 or Euro 2 ones) may be equally lucky.

However, the bad news seems to be that, although the Transport Department has an arrangement for testing older motorcycles for low emissions compliance, it doesn't seem to have such a mechanism for cars. Why not?! So, as djeynon165 says in the previous post, specialists may be able to re-map earlier Jaguar engines to meet Euro 4 emissions standards. But, if the Transport Department won't accept that and modify V5Cs accordingly, what is the point? Hopefully, this is something our representatives in Parliament will take forward. I see that classic magazines are already pursuing this. See, for example, the December 1st edition of Classic Car Buyer.

[3.8etypephil]

Thanks for that helpful response. There seems to be some good news and some bad news! First, the good news. It seems, according to the Gov.uk and TFL websites that my Euro 3 car is exempt from ULEZ and other clean air zone charges. I can only assume that is because, although not actually certified as Euro 4 compliant (Euro 4 didn't exist in 2003 when it was registered), its emissions are sufficiently low for it to be treated as Euro 4 compliant. Possibly owners of some other Euro 3 cars (or even Euro 1 or Euro 2 ones) may be equally lucky.

However, the bad news seems to be that, although the Transport Department has an arrangement for testing older motorcycles for low emissions compliance, it doesn't seem to have such a mechanism for cars. Why not?! So, as djeynon165 says in the previous post, specialists may be able to re-map earlier Jaguar engines to meet Euro 4 emissions standards. But, if the Transport Department won't accept that and modify V5Cs accordingly, what is the point? Hopefully, this is something our representatives in Parliament will take forward. I see that classic magazines are already pursuing this. See, for example, the December 1st edition of Classic Car Buyer.

If, as you state, your Euro 3 certified, but Euro 4 compliant car is exempt from the ULEZ charges on the grounds of its compliance, why are you bothered that there is no facility to test individual emissions and alter registration documents?
Certainly we should pressure our MPs to stop the vilification of older vehicles, given that the manufacture of new cars, particularly BEVs, creates far more pollution than the vehicle will produce during its subsequent life on the road. I hope that few MPs are like the Mid Norfolk incumbent, George Freeman, who can't be bothered to respond to emails, regardless of subject.

[charlier6790]

Sorry if I didn't make things clear in my earlier post. I am, of course, happy that my Euro 3 car is treated as Euro 4 compliant. My concern is that many other Euro 1, Euro 2 and Euro 3 Jaguars (and pre-Euro 1 cars) will not be treated in that way. It was in that context that I raised the question of remapping or other engine/fueling tweaks and subsequent testing to demonstrate compliance with Euro 4 standards. In short, I may be ok but I fear that many other JEC members will not be so lucky.

[3.8etypephil]

Ah! I understand now; agreed, it's imperative that we exert whatever pressure we can to protect the threatenened vehicles from becoming valueless, and their owners from unnecessary financial loss. A return of the rolling 40 year historic classification to the previous 25 year one would help by keeping older vehicles in limbo for a shorter period. There would be minimal effect on taxation raised, as few vehicles make it to 25 years, yet it would make a big difference to their owners.

[charlier6790]

You make a good point about Historic Vehicle status applying to 25-year-old vehicles (as it did previously) rather than only to 40-year-old ones.
With more and more electric cars paying no road tax we keep hearing that the government is considering other ways to recover the lost revenue. One suggestion is "road pricing" where drivers have to pay a charge to use certain roads (probably major routes like motorways and other trunk roads). Should that come about it is likely to replace road tax and that would seem to be a good time to press for a return to the 25 year historic vehicle rule as it would then cost nothing in terms of lost road tax. Let's hope the FBHVC and classic car representatives are ready to push for that.