Paris has voted to triple the parking costs of especially heavy cars in a move aimed at countering the rise of SUVs on the French capital's streets.
Petrol, diesel and hybrid cars that weigh more than 1600kg and electric cars that weigh more than 2000kg will be charged a signifcantly higher rate for parking.
Drivers of such cars will be charged €18 (£15.40) per hour to park in the city centre and €12 (£10.30) to park elsewhere within city limits.
Although the move has widely been reported as an attack on SUVs, it also affects many saloons and coupés, including the Audi A6, BMW i4 and Genesis G70.
Plug-in hybrids – which can run with zero tailpipe emissions for short-to-medium distances – are especially affected by the new rule.
The BMW 330e tips the scales as 1740kg, the Citroën C5 X PHEV weighs 1722kg and the Mercedes-Benz A250e is 1680kg.
Parisian mayor Anne Hidalgo hailed the vote as a “clear choice” by the city’s residents, despite recording only a 54.6% vote in favour against a voter turnout of 5.7%.
Hidalgo previously said the increased tariff would be “a form of social justice”.
She's quoted by The Guardian as saying: “This is about very expensive cars, driven by people who today have not yet made the changes to their behaviour that have to be made [for the climate].”
Deputy mayor David Belliard added that the measure “will be directed at the richest people”.
Nonetheless, residents of Paris – which has some of the highest property costs in Europe, according to a July 2023 report by Bloomberg – aren't affected by the increase in parking rates.
There are also exemptions for commercial vehicles (including taxis) and the disabled.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said on Friday that he would consider replicating the surcharge for heavy cars, calling himself “a firm believer in stealing good policies".
“If other cities are doing stuff that works, we will copy them,” said Khan.
Surprising cars affected by Paris’s purported SUV tax
Paris’s increased parking charge for heavy vehicles is pitched by its creators as part of a war on SUVs, and much of the media’s reporting has followed suit in calling it a tax on 4x4s.
However, many more compact models are also affected. Here are some of the most surprising…
BYD Seal
Kerb weight: 2055kg
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Kerb weight: 1650kg
Peugeot 308 Hybrid 180
Kerb weight: 1608kg
Jaguar XF
Kerb weight: 1735kg
Skoda Superb Estate 2.0 TDI
Kerb weight: 1618kg
