FLEETS have warned the Government to ensure the proposed Vehicle Excise Duty changes do not start a rush to register 'dirty' cars before the changes come into effect. Cost-conscious firms may see a financial benefit by registering cars early so they qualify for a lower VED based on their engine size rather than a higher VED based on their carbon dioxide emissions.

Patricia Millard, fleet manager for Harrier and the present Fleet News Fleet Manager of the Year (Small Fleets), said: 'For big fleets this might be an issue as they take all the costs that affect them into account. It might not make a difference to us, because currently we run a small fleet, but in the past when we had a larger number of cars, we may have considered whether registering early to escape new taxes would have saved us money.'

Di Rees, business services manager for Leo Pharmaceuticals, said: 'It would not change fleet policy, because you get penalised one way or another in the end. Even if we did hear there was going to be a substantial increase, with the long lead times there have been on many vehicles, getting them in time might prove impossible.'