UK motoring bodies are planning to raise London's congestion charge to £25 (US$50) a day for high polluting vehicles in an effort to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. The new charge is targeted towards vehicles that make the biggest contribution to global warming, such as large SUVs and luxury models, plus high-performance sports cars.

These cars alone account for eight percent of all the vehicles registered in London, and if the new proposal is voted in the owners of these cars would have to pay the £25 charge for traveling through certain parts of the city and they would also lose their entitlement to a residents discount, reports MotorTrader. The high polluting cars are those that emit more than 225g of CO2 per km.

The new charge is backed by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, a key proponent of limiting average CO2 emissions for Europe’s carmakers to 130g/km as well as a ban on high-performance cars.