Triple whammy losers

Owners of large, petrol cars are being dealt a killer combination of blows. As the Chancellor gears up to charge even more road tax from April 2009, owners of these cars must also face plummeting used values and rapidly rising fuel costs.

But it’s not just the usual suspects from the full-size SUV sector that are being hit. Everything from top-end luxury cars and executive saloons to many larger MPVs and coupes, and even some models with smaller petrol engines, are being hit. 

Which cars are the biggest losers?

It’s no great surprise to find the unloved Volkswagen Phaeton luxury saloon and Peugeot 607 3.0 V6 executive heading up the top 10 list of culprits most likely to cause serious damage to your wallet. High emissions, poor residual values and considerable asking prices all combine to make them the cars to avoid at all costs.

Next is another unwanted executive car: the Kia Magentis 2.7 V6 LS. It has even worse residuals than the Volkswagen, but only merits third worst spot due to its emissions just sneaking under 225g/km. That means it avoids the highest road tax band this year and when the VED changes come into force in April 2009.

No such luck for the Renault Grand Espace 3.5 V6 Initiale, which bears the full brunt of changes to the tax system. It may be a superb people carrier, but the top spec petrol V6 model is just too expensive, thirsty and prone to depreciation.

Then there are a trio of cars you might not associate with the triple whammy effect as they have relatively small engines. However, the Daewoo Lacetti 1.8 Estate, Perodua Kenari 1.0 EZi Auto and Proton GEN-2 Hatch 1.6 GSX all get hit due to carbon dioxide emissions that place them in much higher tax categories than the other models in their respective ranges and most rivals’. Add in woeful residual values and you have cars that will be nothing but a drain on your finances.

The Hyundai Sonata 3.3 V6 has higher emissions than the Kia Magentis, but it just manages to be slightly less of a money pit than its Korean cousin courtesy of stronger used values. This just tips the cost balance in favour of the Hyundai, though you’d still need to be intent on financial suicide to consider the Sonata V6 over its smaller-engined sister models.

Another V6-powered car that cannot rival the others in its range for emissions and retained value is the Vauxhall Vectra VXR Estate. Vivid performance is not nearly enough to keep this car on a par with other Vectras.

Automatic gearboxes often push up carbon dioxide output without improving a car’s residual value, and this is very much the case with the Dodge Caliber 2.0 SXT Auto, which rounds out the top 10 triple whammy worst performers.

Top 10 triple-whammy losers