Double cab pickup tax loophole closing

[David87]

Government are closing the cheap double-cab pickup tax loophole. Would imagine this'll completely trash the market overnight in the UK - shame in a way as some of the modern trucks are pretty good family wheels (suppose this is the issue though ).

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/consumer/pick-u...

[Hustle_]

Call me a snob, but... good. Fewer doublecabs and maybe a return of smaller, workmanlike single row pickups for actual work. Maybe some little car-derived and JDM style curiosities too.

[TheOctaneAddict]

Makes sense really, but I cant help but think this also might be shafting the people who actually need these trucks.

[the-norseman]

These things have become a fashion accessory. Be glad to see less of them.

[MB140]

I foresee a load of what we’re dual row pickups being sold with no back seats to allow for commercial BIK status but you somehow being able to buy the seats as an accessory and install them yourself.

[Snow and Rocks]

I have a double cab pickup but it's run privately so it doesn't really affect me too much directly but hopefully it doesn't result in double cabs pickups becoming hard to come by or being dropped altogether from the UK market.

There's already not much choice of reasonably priced but properly capable 4x4s on sale in the UK. I need a 5 seater, with a decent load space, that's sturdy and reliable enough for rural use, that is properly capable off road and can tow 3.5T.

My Hilux does all of that and was reasonably priced and is affordable to run. The lower spec Land Cruiser is an option but is still quite a bit more expensive. I can't think of anything else that isn't a pickup as things like the Isuzu Trooper just don't exist in the UK any more. Plenty of choice elsewhere.

[joropug]

My friends company has a fleet of brand new disco commercials, which appear to be a discovery without back seats. Therefore, it’s a van with no company car tax.

They’ve all been retrofitted with aftermarket rear seats…..

Guessing they’ll be next.

[TheJimi]

Hustle_ said:

Call me a snob, but... good. Fewer doublecabs and maybe a return of smaller, workmanlike single row pickups for actual work. Maybe some little car-derived and JDM style curiosities too.

Not sure about snob, but prejudiced, maybe?

Seriously, what's the issue?

[andy43]

TheOctaneAddict said:

Makes sense really, but I cant help but think this also might be shafting the people who actually need these trucks.

Yeah, but who actually needs self employed electricians, plumbers, carpenters, tilers?

[Earthdweller]

TheOctaneAddict said:

Makes sense really, but I cant help but think this also might be shafting the people who actually need these trucks.

That’s always the problem isn’t it?

Living in a real rural farming area these things are everywhere along with Landcruisers and the like and usually dragging large trailers with either livestock or machinery

They are just so damn practical and useful I can see exactly why all the farmers have them

[smithyithy]

TheOctaneAddict said:

Makes sense really, but I cant help but think this also might be shafting the people who actually need these trucks.

That's why vans exist

The only ones I see actually used as work vehicles are the National Grid etc ones that are fitted out with large equipment boxes, or 10+ year old old Isuzus used by farmers..

the-norseman said:

These things have become a fashion accessory. Be glad to see less of them.

This is true, majority of the ones I see are nearly new, clean and shiny and adorned with aftermarket add-ons. I was at a clay shoot a few weeks ago, 50+ cars in the car park (mid-week) and genuinely half of them were spanking new, kitted out Rangers, L200s, Hilux etc.

That being said, I do have a soft spot for them

[anonymous-user]

There's a couple of mums at my kids' school who do the drop off / "pick up" in these, run through their husband's business as a commercial vehicle. It doesn't particularly bother me, if I was self employed I'd probably have done the same. It makes perfect sense they'd want to close that loophole though.

[Hustle_]

TheJimi said:

Hustle_ said:

Call me a snob, but... good. Fewer doublecabs and maybe a return of smaller, workmanlike single row pickups for actual work. Maybe some little car-derived and JDM style curiosities too.

Not sure about snob, but prejudiced, maybe?

Seriously, what's the issue?

I live in the south east. I never see doublecabs around here being used for work. Through that lens you end up wondering why there is what appears to be a tax incentive for people to buy them- they are big, unnecessary, less safe and more polluting than other vehicles which are available to do that job i.e. move up to five people around.

If you look at the U.S. trend these trucks only seem to get more ridiculous in proportion. While the truly ridiculous ones don't make it over here you only have to look at our propensity to follow U.S. trends and also to buy bigger and bigger vehicles in general to know that 'we' (the royal 'we') don't want to continue to financially incentivise people to buy them to ultimately kart the kids about etc.

I do get that elsewhere in the country trucks like this get used to do work. I am biased.

[Steamer]

If they are no longer classed as a Van will that effect the Road Tax too?

[Smint]

Steamer said:

If they are no longer classed as a Van will that effect the Road Tax too?

Good question also what about the car speed limits those qualifying as dual purpose vehicles currently enjoy?

Can't believe the post above re the price of a basic Ford Ranger, we paid £21k in 2007 for a brand new top of the range Hilux Invincible auto, luckily ordered a week before Top Gear's Arctic Trucks north pole challenge, apparently the day after that was aired the phone started ringing at Toyota dealers and the discount we enjoyed wouldn't have happened.

[egor110]

Hustle_ said:

I live in the south east. I never see doublecabs around here being used for work. Through that lens you end up wondering why there is what appears to be a tax incentive for people to buy them- they are big, unnecessary, less safe and more polluting than other vehicles which are available to do that job i.e. move up to five people around.

If you look at the U.S. trend these trucks only seem to get more ridiculous in proportion. While the truly ridiculous ones don't make it over here you only have to look at our propensity to follow U.S. trends and also to buy bigger and bigger vehicles in general to know that 'we' (the royal 'we') don't want to continue to financially incentivise people to buy them to ultimately kart the kids about etc.

I do get that elsewhere in the country trucks like this get used to do work. I am biased.

If we go down the unnecessary route then you'll be driving something with a far smaller engine then ?

After all the uk speed limit is 70 so anything that does over that is unnecessary .

[Hustle_]

egor110 said:

Hustle_ said:

I live in the south east. I never see doublecabs around here being used for work. Through that lens you end up wondering why there is what appears to be a tax incentive for people to buy them- they are big, unnecessary, less safe and more polluting than other vehicles which are available to do that job i.e. move up to five people around.

If you look at the U.S. trend these trucks only seem to get more ridiculous in proportion. While the truly ridiculous ones don't make it over here you only have to look at our propensity to follow U.S. trends and also to buy bigger and bigger vehicles in general to know that 'we' (the royal 'we') don't want to continue to financially incentivise people to buy them to ultimately kart the kids about etc.

I do get that elsewhere in the country trucks like this get used to do work. I am biased.

If we go down the unnecessary route then you'll be driving something with a far smaller engine then ?

After all the uk speed limit is 70 so anything that does over that is unnecessary .

Something with a smaller engine would generally cost less in tax wouldn't it? That seems pretty logical?

[teapea]

joropug said:

My friends company has a fleet of brand new disco commercials, which appear to be a discovery without back seats. Therefore, it’s a van with no company car tax.

They’ve all been retrofitted with aftermarket rear seats…..

Guessing they’ll be next.

This is just tax evasion, if you add back seats it's no longer a van

[vikingaero]

teapea said:

joropug said:

My friends company has a fleet of brand new disco commercials, which appear to be a discovery without back seats. Therefore, it’s a van with no company car tax.

They’ve all been retrofitted with aftermarket rear seats…..

Guessing they’ll be next.

This is just tax evasion, if you add back seats it's no longer a van

If no-one can see them....

[singlecoil]

I know somebody who has one of these, he doesn't use it for carrying goods very much because he can''t get much in the back, not even an 8x4 unless he hangs it out the back.