5 ways to avoid the 2010 road tax

Come 2010, many cars are due to get a hike in their road tax -- a move designed to push people into greener cars. Today, despite campaigns against the tax changes, the politicians working on the proposal published a report that green-lit the plans. Fortunately, you're not powerless. Here are five tricks for dodging the road tax and saving cash.

1. Swap your car for a greener one
If your car emits more than 130g CO2 per kilometre, it may be worth selling your existing car before 2010 and buying a greener one. Check out the top 10 cheap green cars to find a motor that'll dodge the new road tax bands. Upgrading to a greener and more efficient car has the added bonus of cutting your running costs.

2. Get on your bike
This won't suit everyone. But if you live in a city with passable public transport (like London), selling your car and buying a bicycle is a serious option. Using a folding bicycle, you can even commute long distance on the train -- we've reviewed the best folders here. For more on cycling, check out our safety tips as well as the best British towns for cycling.

3. Offset the cost by driving more efficiently
If buying a new car isn't a realistic option, you could change your driving habits to cancel out the new road tax costs with savings on fuel. Look up SmartPlanet's top 10 eco driving tips, including some sound advice from the SmartPlanet community.

4. Sell the car, join a car club
Why not ditch the hassle and cost of car ownership without losing the convenience of a car? A growing number of UK cities now have car clubs with a big enough number of locations to make swapping ownership for sharing an attractive prospect. London, Brighton and Bristol are particularly well catered for. For a first-hand experience of why you'd want to switch, read my diary experience of one of the biggest car clubs, Streetcar. Other large and respected clubs include Zipcar and City Car Club.

5 Convert your car to electric
Electric cars don't have to pay road tax. But if you don't fancy one of the current crop of city electric cars, you could always consider converting your existing car to electric. It won't be cheap -- it's unlikely you'll ever make your money back on road tax savings -- but would cut your fuel bill and likely lower your insurance premium too. As you'd expect, converting your car to electric isn't a DIY job. One UK firm that offers a conversion service is Alternative Vehicles Technology.

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