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British drivers could pay hundreds more to tax their car as new changes come into force in just a few weeks.

Those who drive new diesel cars are set to be the losers when the new rules take effect for thousands more motorists.

The government introduced a new three-band system for new cars last year.

But 2018 is when many drivers who bought new last year will see the second-year charges apply to them for the first time.

Motorists have been warned the new rules will be “challenging”, and it's going to be harder to qualify for the tax-free band.

Our colleagues at Chronicle Live have put together of list of what you need to know about the changes.

(Image: Getty)

How does the system work?

The Government says car tax for the first year is based on CO2 emissions.

It could be as low as nothing, or as high as £2,000, and there is a sliding scale in between.

For the second and subsequent years the amount of tax paid is £140 for petrol and diesel vehicles.

It’s £130 for alternative fuel vehicles such as hybrids, bioethanol and LPG.

And nothing for vehicles with zero emissions.

(Image: Getty)

Didn’t all that happen last year?

Yes, it did. But 2018 is the year when many drivers who bought new last year will see the new second-year charges apply to them for the first time.

And there are some new rules.

What are the new changes in 2018?

They mostly affect drivers of new diesel cars.

All new diesel cars from April 1 will face going up a band if they fail to meet the latest Euro 6 standards under real-world testing.

Experts say a new Ford Focus might see an increase of £20 in the first-year rate while a Porsche Cayenne will see a rise of £500.

There is an exemption - the changes only apply to diesel cars, not vans or commercial vehicles.

(Image: Getty)

How much will diesel drivers have to pay in the first year?

Those with genuine zero emissions will pay nothing.

Those with emissions of 1-50 g/CO2/km will pay £10, those with emissions of 51-70 will pay £25, and so on.

At the top of the scale those with emissions over £255 will pay £2,000.

Everyone will revert to the flat rate of £140 in the second year.

Do I pay more if my car is expensive?

Yes. All cars that cost more than £40,000 attract an extra premium fee of £310 for years two to six of ownership, regardless of emissions.

It is the final list price of the car that determines if it passes the threshold - so if you buy a cheaper car and add lots of extras you still have to pay the premium fee.

Experts say electric cars which cost more than £40,000 will no longer be the tax-busting option they used to be.

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What cars will be most affected?

The motoring press suggests that German-made cars will face big increases.

Petrolprices.com says the emphasis on actual real-world emissions, in the wake of the emissions scandal, will affect drivers of German cars in particular.

Jason Lloyd, managing director of the site, said: “New vehicle excise duty (VED) rules coming in to force in May are likely to expose cars that exceed the original test levels claimed and this will result in higher bills of up to £500 a year per car.

“In some cases if a diesel car driver has removed their diesel particulate filter from the car there are possible fines of up to £2000 for the owner and also the garage that did it.

“In our view it’s about time the Government closed this loophole and started to get these really high polluting cars off the road or hit the driver hard in the wallet if they want to keep driving one.”

What else is going on?

New cars also face tough new tests anyway.

Euro 6 standards have been being introduced on a rolling programme since September and are said to produce the cleanest cars in history.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) says: “Euro 6 standards impose the toughest vehicle emissions limits yet, pushing the boundaries of emissions technologies to produce ever-lower levels of the exhaust pollutants that impact air quality.

“Diesel particulate filters (DPFs) capture 99 per cent of all soot particulates, and are now fitted to every new diesel car.”