Cars capable of travelling more than 101mph (162kph) will be banned from European Union (EU) roads after 2012 if a European MP has his way.

MEPs will vote on the proposals from British Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davies in September and October, which have been tacked on to European Commission proposals to cap the amount of CO2 emitted by cars.

Mr Davies wants the 101mph cap written into the EU’s type approval system which controls which cars are sold in the EU. The cap would mean cars could not exceed the maximum speed of 130kph applying in most European countries by more than 25%.

He said: “Cars designed to go at stupid speeds have to be built to withstand the effects of a crash at those speeds. They are heavier than necessary, less fuel-efficient and produce too many emissions. It is sheer lunacy to approve the sale of gas guzzling cars designed to travel at dangerous speeds that the law does not permit.”

His report said the cap would decrease fuel use and curb emissions, and “reduce the price of top-of-the-range vehicles by ensuring that they no longer had to be over-engineered to a ridiculous degree.”