London congestion charges no barrier for Toyota Prius

Motorists can steer a course around the cost of London's congestion charging by taking the wheel of the revolutionary Toyota Prius. The Prius is exempt from the L5 daily charge, which was levied on vehicles entering the centre of the capital from 17 February, thanks to its environmentally friendly, advanced engine technology. The potential saving for drivers is L1,250 a year.

The four-door saloon is a hybrid vehicle, using a combination of a conventional 1.5 litre petrol engine and a 33kW electric motor. On the open road, power is derived from both sources, but on start-up, when stationary and in slow moving traffic (speeds below 10mph), the Prius switches on its electric motor. In this mode, exhaust emissions are reduced to zero.

This 'green' quality, which qualifies the Prius for exemption from the London congestion charges, is just one of the benefits of owning the car. Since the Prius was launched in 1997 as the world's very first mass-production hybrid vehicle, more than 110,000 have been sold around the world.

Here in the UK it has offered substantial savings for Britain's drivers, thanks to excellent fuel economy and low carbon dioxide emissions that place the car in the lowest Vehicle Excise Duty band.

Petrol consumption on the combined `open road' cycle is 57.6 mpg, while in urban conditions, where conventional petrol-engined vehicles return poor figures, the Prius can achieve 61.4 mpg. The car's automatic transmission also makes for more relaxed driving around town.

Toyota (GB) plc managing director, R Graham Smith said: "Commuters and business users driving into London every day can reduce the pain of congestion charging and save up to L1,250 a year by driving a car like the petrol/ electric Toyota Prius, which is exempt from the daily L5 congestion charge.

"Once you have registered for the charge exemption, you don't have to log on every time you want to drive into London. So, as well as saving money, it will save time and reduce aggravation - all of which drivers suffer enough from in London anyway."

Furthermore, anyone buying a Prius can take advantage of the L1,000 grant towards the L16,400 on the road price.