On this day in auto history – April 1st

Thu 1st Apr 2021

It was on was this day in 2000 that pranksters caused a major stir in Hampshire by painting a zebra crossing across three lanes of the M3.

Early morning commuters were caught out by the April Fools prank which saw a bogus crossing painted on the northbound carriageway near Farnborough but, amazingly, there were no reported accidents or calls from the general public.

When the prank was finally uncovered, the motorway was closed for a period whilst maintenance workers were summoned to remove the white paint with high-pressure hoses. Fortunately, the pranksters had used emulsion paint rather than gloss, making it easier to tackle.

Nobody was ever charged over the incident with a Hampshire Police spokesman admitting: “I don’t know how they managed to do it without being caught."

The tax values are provided by a third-party supplier and while every effort is made to ensure their accuracy please double check with your advisor. If the car was registered after 31/03/2017 then it is subject to new tax rules. All prices we display are for the cars second tax payment onwards. You can find out information on the cars first tax payment here

Cars registered on or after 1 April 2017

Rates for second tax payment onwards

Fuel type	Single 12 month payment	Single 12 month payment by Direct Debit	Total of 12 monthly payments by Direct Debit	Single 6 month payment	Single 6 month payment by Direct Debit
Petrol or diesel	£180	£180	£189	£99	£94.50
Electric	£0	N/A	N/A	£0	N/A
Alternative	£170	£170	£178.50	£93.50	£89.25

Alternative fuel vehicles include hybrids, bioethanol and liquid petroleum gas.

Vehicles with a list price of more than £40,000

You have to pay an extra £390 a year if you have a car with a ‘list price’ (the published price before any discounts) of more than £40,000. You do not have to pay this if you have a zero emission vehicle.

You only have to pay this rate for 5 years (from the second time the vehicle is taxed).

Check the list price with your dealer so you know how much vehicle tax you’ll have to pay.

Fuel type	Single 12 month payment	Single 12 month payment by Direct Debit	Total of 12 monthly payments by Direct Debit	Single 6 month payment	Single 6 month payment by Direct Debit
Petrol or diesel	£570	£570	£598.50	£313.50	£299.25
Alternative	£560	£560	£588	£308	£294