Band F

Compared to the lower brackets, Band F is broad, spanning a CO2 range of 39g/km. This gives buyers a wide target to aim for – and make no mistake, it’s worth seeking out a car in this band rather than the one above, due to the giant price increase. It costs nearly twice as much to tax a Band G car for a year!

Among the choices here is one of our favourite two-seaters, the Audi TT Roadster (186g/km), which just fails to join its hard-top relative in Band E, despite the fact it only puts out 4g/km more.

There are also plenty of hot hatches in tax Band F, including the Skoda Octavia vRS and Volkswagen Golf GTI, which both use the same 2.0T engine as the Audi, but put out 188g/km and 189g/km respectively.

Other sizzling models such as the Vauxhall Corsa VXR (190g/km), BMW 130i (197g/km), Ford Focus ST (224g/km) and Vauxhall Astra VXR (221g/km) just manage to avoid the top £400 band, but the Mazda 3 MPS is less fortunate. With 256bhp, it’s fast, yet a £400 tax bill for a hot hatch is sure to deter buyers.

Another model that just misses Band G is the Jaguar XF. However, it’s worth noting that the 199g/km output of the 2.7-litre diesel places it a bracket higher than the S-Type it replaced. Its predecessor had the same engine, but emitted 20g/km less. And going for a BMW 525d (Band D) instead of the XF would save you £65 in tax.

Performance fans don’t need to miss out on fun. The Lotus Elise remains one of the purest and most entertaining sport cars around, and its 196g/km emissions mean it attracts the same tax costs as a Daihatsu Terios 1.5 SE, also at 196g/km. The little Japanese 4x4 isn’t the wisest SUV choice – so how about the Land Rover Freelander 2.0 TD4 at 194g/km? Even adding an automatic gearbox doesn’t push it into the top band.

There are some autos to avoid, though. Select a self-shifting Renault Laguna 2.0 dCi 150, and its 188g/km emissions are 30g/km above the manual’s, so you’ll pay an extra £65. The Ford Focus CC 2.0 also has a variation of 20g/km between automatic and manual (199g/km and 179g/km), which equates to a saving of £40 for those prepared to change gear themselves. Indeed, the same is true across the tax spectrum –autos often fall into a band or two higher. You have been warned!

The width of Band F does have its advantages. A road fund licence for the faster 208g/km Lotus Elise 111R is the same price as the base model, while in tax terms it makes no difference if you buy either a Mercedes CLK 200K (198g/km), CLK 320 CDI (193g/km) or CLK 280 (220g/km) – provided you choose your spec wisely, that is. For instance, the CLK 280 in Elegance and Avantgarde trims emits 220g/km and 224g/km, but for the range-topping Sport version, that rises to 227g/km, boosting your tax disc by £190 a year.