Sadiq Khan SUV Tax Hits Own Armoured Car? 2026

Key Points

• Sir Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, unveiled the Vision Zero Action Plan 2 last week to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads by 2041.
• The plan includes 43 new actions, such as AI cameras for vehicle offences, lower speed limits including default 20mph on central and inner London roads by 2035, 1,000 new pedestrian crossings, more zebra crossings, cycle lanes, school streets, and speed cameras at 20+ sites.
• Focus on larger vehicles like SUVs, which have surged in popularity; numbers in London rose from 80,000 in 2002 to about 800,000 in 2023, now comprising 60% of new UK car sales.
• TfL to research safety risks of oversized/heavier vehicles, potentially leading to specific taxes on vehicles over certain size/weight, higher parking charges, or surcharges; some boroughs already charge more for SUV parking permits.
• SUVs pose higher risks: 14% more likely to cause fatalities in Great Britain; child 77-82% more likely to die if struck by large SUV vs passenger car; triples for under-9s/under-10s; pedestrians/cyclists suffer more severe injuries.
• Research from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Imperial College London (680,000 collisions over 35 years) shows replacing SUVs with cars could cut EU pedestrian/cyclist deaths by 8%; 44% higher fatality risk for supersized cars.
• Sir Sadiq Khan does not own an SUV but travels in large armoured SUV (e.g., Range Rover) for protection due to death threats; he will urge Metropolitan Police to review and scale down use, sending message even to police.
• Khan quotes: “Yes, of course, I have an armoured vehicle. But if that’s the evidence, I think it’s a message I’ll be sending to the police as well, saying, actually, you do realise, God forbid, if you hit a child in an SUV, you’re more likely to kill that child. It’s worth everyone thinking about that. And not just ordinary Londoners, but the police as well.”
• Khan: “If you follow the logic, I’m saying that large SUVs can kill a child more-so than a normal vehicle hitting a child. That therefore means that even the police should be considering use of large SUVs when there are alternatives available.”
• Khan rejects ‘anti-motorist’ label from City Hall Conservatives’ Thomas Turrell AM, who called family car tax a “disaster for Londoners”; Khan: not anti-motorist but “anti-death”.
• Road stats: 95 deaths in 2025 (down from 110 in 2024); avg 100/year since 2022; 3,000+ serious injuries/year; 61% KSIs involve cars; interim target 65% KSI reduction by 2035 (still ~1,300/year); challenges from population growth, bigger cars, worsening driver behaviour.
• Other quotes: Lilli Matson (TfL chief safety officer): “This new five year plan sets out the clear, evidence led actions we know will save lives, from safer speed limits and safer junctions to modern enforcement technology.”
• Sir Sadiq Khan: “Every death or serious injury on our roads is unacceptable and we must go further and faster to eliminate this heartbreak across the capital.”
• Commander Charmain Brenyah (Met Police): “We are using data and precise intelligence to identify high-risk areas and deploy officers where they can target the offenders causing the most harm on our roads.”
• Caroline Russell (Green London Assembly): “Too often there has been a culture on our roads where speeding, distraction and risky driving are treated as acceptable… It’s encouraging to see the Vision Zero Action Plan 2 clearly challenge that way of thinking.”
• SUVs cause parking/traffic issues: too wide/long for spaces, block narrow side roads.
• Paris precedent: 2024 referendum tripled central parking to €225/6hrs for SUVs.
• Builds on 2018 Vision Zero; partnership with Met Police, boroughs.

London (Britain Today News) March 16, 2026 – Sir Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, has conceded that his own security detail’s large armoured SUV could fall under new taxes targeting oversized vehicles, as outlined in the freshly launched Vision Zero Action Plan 2 aimed at eradicating road deaths and serious injuries by 2041. The plan, comprising 43 evidence-based measures including AI enforcement cameras, expanded 20mph zones, and scrutiny of SUVs’ safety risks, responds to flatlining fatalities at around 100 annually since 2022 and surging numbers of larger cars on capital streets. While rejecting accusations of being ‘anti-motorist’, Khan emphasised data showing children are up to 82% more likely to die when struck by an SUV compared to a standard car.

What is the Vision Zero Action Plan 2?

The Vision Zero Action Plan 2, relaunched by Sir Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) on 12 March 2026, builds on the 2018 strategy to achieve zero road deaths and serious injuries by 2041 through a partnership with the Metropolitan Police and London boroughs. As detailed in TfL’s document, it addresses a “vast and growing challenge” from population increases, heavier vehicles, and poor driver behaviour, projecting rises in killed or seriously injured (KSI) without intervention.

Key actions encompass AI cameras to detect seatbelt non-compliance and mobile phone use, default 20mph limits across central and inner London by 2035, speed reductions on 65km of Red Routes by 2030, 1,000 new pedestrian crossings, more zebra crossings, cycle lanes, school streets, and speed cameras at over 20 sites. Lilli Matson, TfL’s chief safety, health and environment officer, stated:

“This new five year plan sets out the clear, evidence led actions we know will save lives, from safer speed limits and safer junctions to modern enforcement technology.”

An interim goal targets a 65% KSI reduction by 2035 from a 2022-24 average of 3,800 annually, though this would leave about 1,300 cases yearly. Provisional data indicates 95 road deaths in 2025, down from 110 in 2024, with 61% of KSIs involving cars. Sir Sadiq Khan remarked:

“I’m proud that we have saved lives through the important steps already taken to deliver my Vision Zero goal, making our roads safer more quickly than the rest of the country and equivalent international capitals including New York and Paris.”

Why Target SUVs in London’s Roads?

TfL highlighted “immediate and intensifying risks” from SUVs, whose numbers in London have exploded tenfold over the past decade to around 800,000-1 million, forming 60% of new UK sales. The Vision Zero plan notes:

“Without action to address oversized and heavier vehicles, more people will be seriously injured or killed,”

as car manufacturers enlarge models.

Potential crackdowns include taxes on vehicles exceeding size/weight thresholds, higher parking charges (mirroring some boroughs), or entry surcharges, following detailed TfL analysis this year. SUVs obstruct narrow side roads, exceed parking bay dimensions, and exacerbate congestion. Campaign group Clean Cities reports the rise from 80,000 in 2002.

How Dangerous Are SUVs to Pedestrians and Children?

Data underscores SUVs’ lethality: in Great Britain, 14% more likely to kill than other vehicles. A child faces 77% higher fatality risk from a large SUV strike; 82% overall, tripling for under-9s or under-10s. LSHTM and Imperial College analysis of 680,000 collisions over 35 years found pedestrians/cyclists 44% more likely to die from supersized cars, with an 8% EU-wide drop if replaced by passenger cars.

Last year, South London schoolchildren urged Lambeth Council for size-based parking charges, citing these risks amid ‘carspreading’. Labour Assembly Member Elly Baker noted SUVs’ size, weight, and bonnets heighten dangers to vulnerable users while damaging roads. TfL lacks specific 2025 SUV-fatality breakdowns among 95 deaths.

What Did Sadiq Khan Say About His Own Armoured SUV?

Sir Sadiq Khan, facing death threats, clarified he owns no SUV but relies on police armoured large SUVs like Range Rovers for transport. As reported by Felix Reeves of GB News, Khan stated:

“Yes, of course, I have an armoured vehicle. But if that’s the evidence, I think it’s a message I’ll be sending to the police as well, saying, actually, you do realise, God forbid, if you hit a child in an SUV, you’re more likely to kill that child. It’s worth everyone thinking about that. And not just, you know, ordinary Londoners, but the police as well.”

To The Standard’s Ross Lydall, Khan added:

“There are number of people in the country who receive police protection. Many of us have armoured vehicles. Some of these armoured vehicles are large SUVs. If you follow the logic, I’m saying that large SUVs can kill a child more-so than a normal vehicle hitting a child. That therefore means that even the police should be considering use of large SUVs when there are alternatives available.”

City Hall has requested the Met review VIP SUV use.

Who Criticises the Plan as ‘Anti-Motorist’?

City Hall Conservatives’ transport spokesperson Thomas Turrell AM labelled a “family car tax” a

“disaster for Londoners trying to get around and would fall on the backs of poorer Londoners”.

Khan rebutted: he is not “anti-motorist” but “anti-death”. A mayoral spokesperson affirmed:

“The mayor has asked TfL to undertake detailed analysis of the safety risks posed by large SUVs and their wider impact on London’s roads. This could then inform any future policy proposals.”

Commander Charmain Brenyah of the Met Police Roads and Transport Policing Command pledged data-driven targeting of high-risk offenders. Green Assembly Member Caroline Russell welcomed the cultural shift against speeding and distraction.

Are There International Examples Like Paris?

Paris’s 2024 referendum tripled SUV central parking to €225 for six hours, up from €75, gaining broad support. London officials eye similar non-biased measures post-analysis, excluding smaller SUVs like Nissan Qashqai.

What Challenges Remain for Road Safety?

Despite progress, KSIs rose 8% to 2,829 in first three-quarters of 2025/26, driven by car occupant (43% up) and cycling injuries. Over 23 million daily journeys amplify risks; TfL admits zero by 2041 is distant without acceleration. Sir Sadiq Khan urged:

“Every death or serious injury on our roads is unacceptable and we must go further and faster to eliminate this heartbreak across the capital.”