The Mini or the Renault because I prefer small cars. The next step is zero emission zones that will probably be introduced more quickly around the UK than presently anticipated and is the reason why I drive an EV.
As someone who lives in London I would approve if it had the effect of actually reducing traffic congestion and increasing trains into london so it is safe for kids to cycle to school etc. But it does not even do that. Trains are too expensive and do not go everywhere so it is not an alternative. It is purely as money raising exercise. And since London is a net taxpayer to the rest of the country as it is far richer, and because the Tory government deliberately underfunds local authorities there is a perception of all right lets get back the cash the Tories are taking from us slowing down new tube for London etc. And they want people from the home counties to pick up the tab as retribution. But those people are not that affluent, especially with inflation. It's really sad state of affairs.
I have a 2002 Range Rover L322 V8 petrol running LPG which is arguably better than Euro 4. Last year I checked on line and was told it was ULEZ exempt. I drove into London and was subsequently fined. The fine came when I was overseas and by the time I was aware of it, it had escalated to £240. Its a con and money grab!
@Nhil famine As it is over 40 years old and, if it is registered as historic, it is ULEZ exempt. I have a 77 Rolls Royce Shadow and that is exempt but my Range Rover, it seems, isn't
The argument is that they're relatively green compared to non-compliant cars, and they actually are. The data is particularly clear for diesels. And the data for the current ULEZ zone within the north/south circular roads is also pretty clear, while the data in favour of the expanded zone is pretty much non-existent. What is also pretty clear is that this is actually a greener list than buying an EV, because a) EVs currently pre-load up to 90k miles of equivalent emissions into the atmosphere before they drive out of the showroom, and b) the cars on this particular list are unlikely to be driven the average number of miles a year.
That depends if you live in the area, I live for the day when i can walk down a London street and smell the flowers in the gardens and not the smelly ICE vehicles (like it was in the first lockdown when no-one was driving). Hopefully it'll accelerate EV adoption in the mass market and commercial market then the one off dirty ICE should be allowed to exist for the real petrolheads
@@rtfazeberdee3519 What a crock of shit .... what flowers in central London gardens? even the electric black cabs aren't green as most drivers live outside London, they run the taxi into London on their battery then drive around London using their petrol engines. I've been in enough of them to talk to the drivers.
Sorry you missed the point in this video.. This is just the thin edge of the wedge, next year Euro5m, Euro6 then Euro8 and on. All the cars you mentioned will be axed very soon. WE NEED TO FIGHT This NOW or the eco Fascists will drive all non EV cars off the road.
But will Khanage ban the Royal Rolls. Will he be driven in an EV, at the side of a London bus full of enough Hydrogen to take out four full blocks in the event of a terrorist attack. Only pointing out, that on a day to day basis, diesel cars are much safer. How would you even armour an EV? They have already lost electric buses
Yes, my 70MPG super green blue efficiency mercedes C class, which I bought because it's super efficient and green is no longer ULEZ compliant, I guess I'll get a 15mpg range rover to save the planet? - that one seems fine still. Logic train has left the station.
My thoughts exactly. Soon the ban will cover most cars then all cars with internal combustion engines. First it was Red Ken Congestion charger, then it was lying theiving Boris now it's Ulez Khan. All different cheeks of the same ass
If the goal is to stop pollution or save the environment it’s illogical. If the goal is to decimate car ownership and freedom of movement it’s a brilliant scheme.
The fascist, tax raid creep always starts slowly and before you know it, gallops away. Do not comply, object to it now or it will be too late. Anyone fancy driving Tuc Tucs around in our climate?
As someone who currently living in the current ulez zone it isn't to bad but I would be more fearful of what Oxford's 15 minute city could mean for drivers in other cities.🤔
ULEZ cameras & LTN’s are for 15 minute cities. They are just working there one screw turn at a time because London is such a large important city. Next stages will be tightening of the standards, then road charging.
The cars listed might be compliant at this moment in time🤔 but once the money starts rolling in what’s stopping Euro 4 changing to Euro 5 as a minimum. Once the extended zone comes into force, what’s stopping other councils who are being hard pressed for government funds introducing zones of there own?
I can just remind you these rules are intended to nudge us away from polluting towards zero emission. I’m all for keeping classic cars but not as daily drivers; most the pollution is odourless and colourless yet the smell in most of London is horrendous. Better in recent years but a long way to go.
@@markgarnett3521 , Hi Mark I can understand the reasoning behind the requirement to reduce the Pollution levels but the Motorists isn’t the only culprit in the production of the Toxic fume / particular issue. To my knowledge there hasn’t been any mention of limiting the use of Household Gas Boilers within the ULEZ zone or the imposition of an extra daily charge to heat your home within the Zone. ( Did you know that the manufacture of Gas Boilers was being fazed out? ) The manufacture of an EV creates far more pollution than an equivalent ICE vehicle and at the moment the production of the ever increasing amount of Electricity to power these EVs requires the use of fossil fuels. It’s a real shame that more emphasis hasn’t been placed on the mass production of synthetic fuels allowing the continued use of all these perfectly serviceable vehicles for many years to come.
@@markgarnett3521 We all need to consider the cradle to grave footprint of all vehicles. Is it really greener to buy a new EV than to continue to run an existing ULEZ compliant vehicle doing 5 or 6K miles per yer for the next 10 years? To get an EV that would pull my caravan would cost me £50k plus and with the price of public charging cost me more to get from A to B than using my Euro 6 compliant diesel, it would also take significantly longer and have you ever considered charging an EV with a caravan attached? I'm sure the 'towing' use case isn't the only one that isn't practical. The human cost of getting the lithium and cobalt out of the ground and the carbon footprint for the sourcing of components and manufacture of that EV is far greater than continuing to use my existing Euro 6 diesel. Add to that the limited longevity of EVs compared to ICE vehicles and we are looking at at least two EV batteries to keep that EV going for the same number of miles as an ICE vehicle. We should be exploring synthetic fuels so that the existing distribution infrastructure can be used and the same vehicles can be used rather than encouraging the manufacture of new vehicles at massive cost to the environment. This push towards EVs is just another way of taking money from the poor to give to the already rich.
My brother lives just outside the boundary in Kent but comes into London a lot and was delighted and surprised to find out that his 20 year old fuel guzzling, rotary engine Mazda RX8 is ULEZ compliant. Happy days.
I know ye it's all retarded they are actually letting dirty engines in and some cleaner ones can't 🤣 hay I'm not complaining you can buy a chappy old dirty car and be compliant happy days 🤣🤣🤣🤣👍
It’s all about diesel particulate emissions controls rather than choking on petrol fuel fumes. But the insanity of that is dieselgate which has rendered the ULEZ criteria obsolete. I appealed a fine on such grounds but was overturned. Retrospective engine management upgrades can make non compliant cars compliant but the dinosaur system is based on emissions at the point of the cars production. The idiocy needs to end.
Okay i dont live anywhere near London and never will, however as you pointed out these restrictions are coming to a city near you, sooner or later, i was of the understanding that this ulez exstention was being challenged by many of the councils its going to affect and that recently karn had been up in front of a committee and is under suspicion of destroying over 5000 objections to his ulez exstention, so hopefully it may not come into force. Whilst an interesting list it probably doesn't help those who are on a budget but that said maybe us petrol heads should get together in our compliant gas guzzling cars and have a trip around this proposed zone on mass. I dont like the big brother attitude that seems to be attacking every corner of peoples lives these days, you cant drive, you cant order fatty or sweet foods, stop drinking, dont smoke and on it goes. 👍
Of course if everyone removed their numberplate before driving into the zone they would need to recruit a hell of a lot more coppers to find them? Just saying!
Please don’t trivialise the ULEZ extension, it’s an appalling restriction of freedom about to forced onto hundreds of thousands of people. There’s a big push to try and get it overturned, your platform would be better used help the cause. That list just reinforces the fact it’s a tax on the average person while favouring the elitist few
Sorry I disagree, this is the sort of attention the ULEZ extension should be getting ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-araJvpI5qGw.html Suggesting someone buys a Bentley, Ferrari or Porsche to avoid the charge seems quite, …crass in comparison
@leehollyer1017 get a life, he's a youtuber, he's here for information and entertainment, if you don't like the vid then don't watch it's as simple as that.
Tyrannical governments for the last 3 years with the Unelected world economic forum causing all these issues in the name of climate scam no doubt. Good channel anyone
The goal is net zero by 2030, so the restrictions will get harder and harder each year. I assume their end game is no cars or just electric cars (if you can afford one and if have a place to charge it).
Fantastic, thanks for sharing with a bigger audience with all your usual enthusiasm 🙂 When I started doing this it was to replace my NA MX5 I have owned for 8 years as it is my daily driver. I didn't want to give Sadiq £87.50 a week for me to use my pride and joy. What I wanted was a modern classic that pre-dated the September 2005 Euro 4 cut off (on 1st Jan 2006 depending which regulation you read) , and, please correct me if I am wrong, but all the 20 cars do pre-date 2006. I almost bought a 1977 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow and briefly considered an MGB GT V8, but the daily driver aspect meant i wanted something newer. I have settled on another 986 but I have plans for perhaps another car too, maybe a V8 (or a Sagaris - the only complaint TVR ). Thanks again, was great to watch my list come to life 🙂
If you think the London ULEZ is bad how about a proposal by Bath City Council to charge all Vehicles entering the City regardless of any emissions compliance. I fear the anti car/vehicle brigade are on the march.
Not seen any protests on this , scary thing is it’s being stealthily rolled out to the the rest of the country, I have. Even warning my mates who think they can keep all their old classics forever (I mean things like 90’s cars), told them we’ll be taxed off the road
ULEZ compliant today but tomorrow, they’ll change the rules again to include more cars. The charge will increase quickly too. Slippery slope downwards from here.
I know quite a few people who work at Heathrow airport which in August will be inside the ULEZ zone causing them to sell their vehicles due to the staff car parks also being inside the zone.
The world has gone absolutely mad. My sister lives in the current zone. My parents can take their 3 year old mini countryman but can’t take their 2013 mark 7 golf diesel. I’m stunned yu can take Bentley continental, Range Rover, Ferrari, Porsche etc in. I’m actually holding my head in my hands at the thought of an sl55 amg! Anne no idea how the t r is anywhere near compliant!What is ultra low emission about these cars?
People need to write to their local mp, there is huge resistance to this from local councils and it’s not a done deal yet so don’t panic and sell your car, contact the GLA and your local mp to voice your objection, the interesting thing is TFL don’t own all the roads so local councils are saying they will not give TFL permission to put the cameras up on the roads causing TFL to seek a court order to install the cameras on the roads, also google the information that the mayor of London manuipulated the constitution figures Please don’t rollover all and accept this nail in the coffin for your motoring freedoms, worth a bit of effort to fight back against this TFL motoring tax
London borough of Harrow are refusing to implement any ULEZ cameras within their borders :). Now, if other outer London boroughs were to do the same....
11 boroughs are considering legal action but they will fail and ultimately, as Sutton have discovered, while they can say they will block it they have no actual power over the GLA to stop them on TFL red routes. There is no way Sadiq will back track now or his tenure as mayor will be over. Sadiq will just extend the scrappage scheme as compensation and the Boroughs will roll over or get their funding cut. You have to ask why the boroughs are protesting after it was ratified at city hall rather than before? its mostly political fighting between non labour boroughs and a labour mayor.
Also ran into the ULEZ problem.....live outside the area but work for the NHS in West London. I am now the proud owner of a very clean 2005 350SLK Merc 🙂
Mercedes C Class Blue Efficiency 70mpg 2013 is not ULEZ :( - and the price on it dropped by 4 grand because of this nonsense compared to a crappier, less efficient petrol version. You can't make this shit up. I guess I'll get an older E class that has more power/torque but someone is better for the planet?
Some surprises there, I am happy my cars are ULEZ compliant. Not everyone's favourite car, despite being a great car, you know because you tested one. My 2016 Porsche Cayenne 4.2 V8 Twin Turbo Diesel, is ULEZ compliant.
Great shout on the Porsche Boxster 986, I was ‘involved’ with a Baltic girl from Penge and my BMW 635d wasn’t compliant, so flogged the BM and bought a 986. Girl was stunning but alas is now a memory, alas I have the 😢986
Some of those might be more expensive to run than just paying the daily charge (Conti, P38, F360) 😂 Just shows how ridiculous the whole ULEZ thing is !
I drive a 13 year old Yaris and it is ulez compliant. But there is more chance of me driving to the moon than there is of me driving TO London, let alone INTO London!!!
My son's VW Polo Match automatic is 2001 and is coming up as compliant. His Nox stated on the V5 is below the required 0.08. He would not be able to afford to upgrade due to the dreaded Ulez so is relieved. Check your Nox ratings as sometimes TFL checker is stating some vehicles are uncompliant when they are. If so, apply to your vehicle manufacturer for a certificate of conformity and send it to TFL to update their records. I oppose the Ulez because it's nothing to do with air quality and just another tax on innocent motorists. Vote Mayor Khan out to get rid of Ulez.
You know... When you read this list out loud it shows how ridiculous the whole ULEZ expansion is. I don't even live in London and, ffs, I'm having to look at getting a new car, with a loan. So no mortgage for me 😂 btw, what's the noise cameras all about? This is news to me 😂
I commute daily into London and when the first ULEZ zone was introduced I even had to change my motorcycle!! Imagine my motorcycle was not ULEZ compliant but all Bentleys are!!!! A more sceptical person would think the rules are bent...
It is surprising what is and isn't ULEZ compliant and seems to make a mockery of its purpose. I own a 2008 Mercedes CLK 320, an aging 3.2 diesel which on the TFL ULEZ checker: "This vehicle meets the ULEZ emissions standards". We've taken it into central London, well into the ULEZ zone, several times despite doubts on whether the web site was mistaken. Never had a ticket.
They must have an anomaly as the 320CDi is definitely not ulez. I checked a 2007 and it wasn't but a 2008 is. That's the first non Euro 6 diesel i have heard that passes. Mind you I have not looked into diesels. More research required. Thanks
Rather than trying to find something ULEZ everyone in the zone should simply refuse to pay and all use the money you would have paid to crowd fund a bloody good lawyer to challenge the insanity and kill it dead.
I did a search when the original ULEZ zone was introduced and was relieved to find out my Alfa GT was compliant. I do feel for those with earlier Modern Classics and still hope it doesnt go ahead for Greater London.
I suggest that you read the report by TFL/GLC from early in 2024 to find a true answer. There is a GUardian article dated 8th MArch 2024 which might help.
@@valeriegrimshaw1365 I suggest that you read the report by TFL/GLC from early in 2024 to find a true answer. There is a GUardian article dated 8th MArch 2024 which might help.
@@solentbum I know Carbon follows temperature and does not lead it I know the IPCC'S climate model omits the medeival warm period too The question was rhetorical...
Dont worry next year they will put up charge and change the criteria as to what is acceptable. their gonna get everybody in the end if they get away with this.
With all the bus lanes and cycle lanes going in, pavements getting wider, narrowing the roads and increasing congestion, this list should be about which cars are best to sit in for hours on end going nowhere. It won't be long before the congestion charge is also expanded outwards.
They are but after extensive research and reading forums it would seem TFL have made an error on the Thor engine cars and not been bothered to correct it. They could take its ULEZ compliant status away but the impact would be so tiny they probably cant be bothered. Perhaps Sadiq Khans dad drives a p38 ;-)
Even if your car is deemed not fit for the ULEZ zone it is possible to get a certificate of compatibility with the ULEZ from the manufacturer. Contact there head office have the test if it’s deemed compatible you send the certificate details to TFL and your good to go. Obviously won’t work for everyone but could keep some cars within the zone.
Great video. It's surprising some of the cars that are compliant if you look hard enough! I'm in the new zone and I'm pleased that my 2007 Jaguar XK 4.2 V8 is compliant. I'm sure it's not the sort of car the Mayor wants us to be driving but I'll stick with it while I can.
Bearing in mind that Khan is driven in a Range Rover with a heavy weight security which weighs a lot heavier than a normal car. So his vehicle is produces a hell of a lot more crap than a normal vehicle
@@0000stuart you would think that all commercial vehicles would be exempt? If I have to drive into one of these zones to work at your house who is paying the charge? Me? No chance, your bill has just gone up. More likely that trades will just decide that it's too much hassle and give cities a wide bearth. Given how much time you spend sitting in traffic not earning I reckon that's the best option anyway.
So ped would you pay £12.50 a day to get to work and when your car is worth £2500 and you urn around £400 a week no chance to change just go on the dole
As a disabled person, I am allow up to 7 years old car to drive, I am guessing they are automatically ULEZ compliances? I don't live in London. But I did notice there a camera in Yorkshire reassembled to the one of ULEZ in Barnsley... I have to check that out.
It just goes to show what hypocrisy within this system when you compare what the DVLA consider to be a candidate for high emissions, for example Honda S2000 as Petrol Ped states any from 2001 would cost you between £360 and up to £615 RFL, remember these RFL charges were introduced to represent the emission status of each vehicle so how does this particular vehicle pass the ULEZ ???
Because the dvla were looking at co2 emissions whilst the new zone is looking at pollution from nitrogen oxide and air particles. Hence why diesels are being hit harder and big Petrol engine cars are not as long as they are euro 4 or later. The government views pollution as more important to save lives than co2 which damages the planet. Eventually they want everything to be electric to save both. 20.35
I was a bit surprised the other day when big signs appeared on the M8 through Glasgow about a new ULEZ Zone in the city. It doesn't really affect me that much as I live 5 mins from the railway station & I would normally take the train into the city but it is a rare occasion that I do. What does affect me is if I travel to see my son in Edinburgh but then I will have to take the i-Pace or so I will tell Mrs B as she will be none the wiser. With regards the MG on your list my little sister was driven to her wedding by her bridesmaid in an MGF with the top down even in Scotland. I was a little jealous as I was a fan having owned an MG ZR and a ZS 180 V6 so not that jealous really. That was a very interesting list.
@@DjNikGnashers makes no sense does it! I guess it does somewhere but seems like if you bought a diesel it’s now time to pay for the cheap tax we’ve enjoyed (£30 a year on my 120d)
Diesels pollute more nitrogen oxide and air particles and that’s what needs reducing in cities as it can kill people. That’s why buses and lorries are already being penalised.
following some of the surprise cars shown thought, give it a check. Jaguar F-Type V8 R AWD is ulez compliant, Euro Category 6 CO2 emission rating M-269g / km
Thankfully my diesel SUV which is Renault Kadjar is not only Euro 6 compliant but would if I lived in London be able to drive in there. Thing is that I live in Northern Ireland and we don't have emissions zones anywhere but what annoys me about said emissions zones in general is folk are now having to scrap their cars or offered scrappage for their cars when there's literally nothing wrong with them apart from not being emissions zone compliant and what it means is it good cars are going to be taken off the road for no other reason than that. I do accept that it will take the oldest cars off that are knackered and that's not a bad thing but for the cars that are in good condition other than that it's just wrong.
The rules will tighten within 5 minutes. The cameras & LTN’s are for smart road user charging (pay per mile) to be rolled out 2025-‘26. It was in the consultation. You will pay to drive ANY car in London within a few years.
The list was aimed at cars made pre 2006, which was the euro 4 cut off. All cars pre euro 4 / 2006 are supposed to be non complaint but all the cars on this list meet euro 4 requirements before it was even invented and that can be proven with a certificate of conformity. So the list was pre 2006 only
Astonishing! Great video, but the S2000. Recently I looked up how big an achievement 240 odd ponies from 2 litres, is. Since 1999, the only cars that have beaten it are Porsches, Ferraris etc. You might want to do a video on engines that changed the world. That VTEC, in my opinion, is the engine of all time……you somewhat downplayed it 😂
It's all crazy!! In 2014 some government official decided my 2.0 Passat bluemotion would demand only £20 PER YEAR to tax because of its low emmissions. Now our friend Mr Khan has decided that I should pay nearly 70% of that for driving in his ULEZ zone for ONE DAY!! Yet, my 5.0 V8 Mustang is ULEZ compliant???
Hi Ped Well done Paul, great research on your part. From your list the Boxster would be a good choice, as I could not afford the Bentley or the TVR. On a more serious note I really sympathise with People living & working within the ULEZ zone with non compliant vehicles. Where do they find the cash to change? Also we know from past experience politicians and their like are not to be trusted, so how long before the rules are tightened again to fund the bankrupt TFL.😬
Because diesels are dirty when you look at city pollution and the emissions of nitrogen dioxide and soot particles. What do you think diesel gate was all about and all the compensation people are now trying to get for being misled. In Germany where the diesel was invented they have cities including Berlin where the older diesels have already been banned completely. They have ruled that older diesel cars are causing a public health crisis. The large petrol cars are cleaner but produce more co2 which leads to higher levels of dvla taxation only. The co2 only damages the planet and why the government eventually want everything electric.
I'm exempt Wa-Hey Tractors Rule 💪😂 "Specialist vehicles designed and built for mainly off-road use, but which may use the road for limited purposes (including and forestry mowing machines, agricultural and farm machinery and equipment, mobile cranes and road and building construction machinery)"
Couldn't agree more. I went a couple of years ago, as my wife had never been, she hated it, didn't feel safe, didn't feel like she was in England anymore, and everything was way too expensive. We won't be going again, ever.
No. 12 (1997 Porsche 911 993 Tiptronic) was the most surprising to me. Air-cooled 911, and Tiptronic makes a lot of sense for drving in London, at least within the existing ULEZ zone within the North/South Circular roards. That's the one I would personally go for from this list. It's also interesting that it's one year and only with the Tiptronic gearbox. [Update: I checked the only 97 993 Tip on AutoTrader with registration plates showing and it was not ULEZ compliant.] I also found it interesting to learn that 986 Boxsters are compliant, whereas pre-facelift 996 911s aren't. The other big surprise for me is the P38 4L Range Rover. I currently live within the existing ULEZ zone, just inside the North Circular, so ULEZ has become a big thing for me. And if you live in any of the main cities, there's either a central ULEZ zone already or such is planned. Some of the cars I would most like to own are sadly not ULEZ compliant, and living within the Zone has made me only consider compliant cars. While there are quite a lot of early 2000s cars that are ULEZ compliant, few are in any way exciting. And Euro 4 petrol compliance isn't assured until 2007, maybe even 2008. I also note that some diesels sold as late as 2017 are still not ULEZ compliant, such as, the Maserati VM Motori diesels, which means Euro 6 diesel compliance isn't assured until 2018. I think it is also rather poor that AutoTrader has removed the ULEZ compliance selection criteria, stating that it was not wholly accurate, while I note that most of the other information provided on AT is also not wholly accurate. This means you have to enter the registration plate into the TfL online checker, while many of the cars listed on AT don't show their rego plates. Of course, the TfL checker is an invaluable resource, and you always needed to check the rego to make sure, but if you're not looking for a specific model, the removal of the ULEZ compliance search criteria makes finding a ULEZ compliant car much more laborious. Anyway, this is an interesting list of cars that has something to appeal to many petrolheads, although it's hardly a list of cheap cars, and it's far from definitive. I knew most of these are ULEZ compliant, but a few surprised me, and I've been looking for ULEZ compliant modern classics for quite a while now. What I think would be interesting to a wider audience is a list of 20 modern classics that are ULEZ compliant that you can get a nice example of for less than say 10k, covering hot hatches, sports saloons, sports estates, and SUVs, excluding those cars that have horrendous economy and running costs. Another video that I'm not aware of any other RU-vidr having done is one in which you explore what cars are available to buy/lease for less than the cost of commuting in the ULEZ zone with a non-compliant car, which is a minimum of 275 pounds a month for someone who commutes five days a week and doesn't use their car at weekends, up to 387.50 pounds pm. I have seen new city cars for less than 200 a month, including EVs, such as the VW e-UP! and the Renault Zoe. If you showcased half-a-dozen city cars for up to 275pm and half-a-dozen family cars for up to 387.50 a month, I'm sure it would be well received. And you could also get sponsorship by the likes of a leasing company, a finance company, etc.
The goalposts will move. The cameras & LTN’s are for ‘smart road user charging’ which is planned for ‘25-‘26. Basically pay per mile. You will be charged to drive any car that’s why ULEZ is wanted so badly.
@@chevchelios8582 That makes sense, because otherwise, I don't think the ULEZ expansion, especially its costs, makes sense. Of course, pay per mile will increase congestion on the main routes as it will act as a further disincentive to use longer but quicker routes. But, I guess it's all part of the plan to get the poor out of their cars and herded in.
Totally impractical cars on this list, for anyone but the Peter Pans that sit in Tescos car parks at night. These cars are as practical as a motorbike to the average person with a family
A lot of surprises here. I've seen some late registered Y reg and 51 plate classic Impreza turbo GC8s are ulez compliant when the reg plates go in. They come up as Euro 3 and not Euro 2.
Never - in a month of Sundays would I compare a Lotus Elise with a MX5 - ever. My Mazda lasted 1600 miles before I binned it of ( no longer could I stand those hairdryers rolling around in the boot - or the soulless steering)
Fezza 360 mate. I feel for city dwellers though & it's only going to get worse. It won't massively improve air quality, not enough people will or can afford to make the changes required to go ultra green, so they will pay as they go & Sadiq Khan will cream it in massively!
You're wrong when you say they need to be EURO4 compliant. They (petrols) only need to meet the NOx requirements for EURO4. My 2000 4.0 range rover is EURO2 complaint and was coming back as non ULEZ compliant. I got the NOx readings from Land Rover, sent them to TFL and now my car is ULEZ compliant. Hope your mate checked with Mazda before getting rid of his MX5.
EVERY "historic" car - that is, 40+ years old and exempt from the road tax and MOT - is ULEZ exempt. I'm allowed to drive my 1958 Austin A35 throughout London without paying a penny. My A-series engine kicks out more fumes in a minute than some modern cars produce in an entire day. Not many of us around, so we're not doing serious damage.
The problem is with all cities bringing in their own wierd and wonderful restrictions that you aren't going to know about if you're just driving somewhere you can end up getting stuffed.
Just wait until it goes ahead, I'll gladly drive into London City to help gridlock it in my TDV8, trouble is we don't rebel like the French and we should have done it years ago
I've recently found out my 2001 Saab 93 (NG900) 2.0SE Turbo is compliant. Basically it's down to your NOx emissions. ULEZ limit is 0.08 g/km, my 93 shows on it's registration docs as emitting 0.01 g/km. If your vehicle doesn't have emissions figures in your Docs, then contact the manufacturer. THey may be able to supply you with a certificate of conformity. If not, do a web search for garages that can do emissions tests. We're having to do that with certain bikes. Bike limit is 0.15 g/km.