THE OWNER of an "eco- friendly" car today criticised the Government for making him pay a higher road tax on his vehicle than other hybrid car-owners - because their vehicles were registered later.

David Randon, 61, of Wheldrake, near York, said he would have to pay £115 this year on his Toyota Prius hybrid - which uses petrol and electricity - but that most hybrid owners would only pay £35.

This is because their cars were registered after March 2001, when the Government changed the tax banding system.

Prior to 2001, vehicle owners paid tax according to engine size, but from March of that year the amount motorists were charged has depended on the level of carbon their cars emit.

Because Mr Randon registered his car before the changes were implemented, he is still being charged for the size of his car's engine, and not for its carbon emissions, which are among the lowest in the banding system.

Mr Randon would now be paying £35 - if his Prius had been registered after March 2001.

He said that when he registered his car before that date, he did not realise that the system would change - and that he would lose out.

"I feel let down by the Government - I've been trying to do my bit for the environment by buying a hybrid car which gives off less CO2 emissions, but this is just not being recognised by the taxation system," he said. He said the principle was more important to him than the money - and that if he was given it he would pledge it to charity.

A Treasury spokesperson said: "The Government reformed Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) to emphasise CO2 emissions and send a signal to motorists of the environmental impacts of their potential choice of car.

"In the case of cars bought before March 2001, that choice had already been made.

"It remains the case that the move to graduated VED bands was signalled well in advance of the change, with the date of implementation published in the Budget of 2000. Cars purchased in the period immediately prior to introduction were chosen with the changes a matter of public record."