Greetings,
The Clean Car Standard (CCS) is fast approaching and is the second scheme that will be operating in tandem to the Clean Car Discount (CCD) as part of the government’s decarbonisation efforts.
In short, the CCS is designed to reduce CO2 emissions of vehicles entering New Zealand and encourages importers to buy ‘clean cars’ whereas the CCD sets to influence purchasing decisions of consumers in buying low emission vehicles.
Key dates for the CCS:
- 7 November 2022 – NZTA’s CCS system will be made available for importers / dealers to register and will allow you to view account details, and add extra users in managing the account. This can be done on NZTA’s main website: www.nzta.govt.nz
- 1 December 2022 – Importers must ensure all vehicles arriving into NZ from this date have emissions values are recorded against the registered CO2 account as part of the standards requirements (cars imported through different channels can all go onto the same account). Vehicles certified / MR2A’d before 31 December will NOT attract any penalties / credits.
- 1 January 2022 – CCS comes into effect and all light passenger vehicles certified after 1 January will start attracting penalties / credits. It is advisable to consider when cars are put through certification to benefit from credit / penalties.
- At this stage, penalties under the CCS will be ACCRUED and charges will be invoiced from late Q2 2023. Dealers should account for charges from 1 January despite actual charges not being invoiced until later in the year.
Payment schemes
All CO2 accounts registered initially from 7th November will be ‘pay as you go’ and importers wanting to be on ‘fleet average’ accounts will need to apply through the online application process with NZTA after they have successfully opened a “pay as you go” account.
‘Pay as you go’ – as the name implies, each imported vehicle is assessed and charged or credited before it is registered.
- ‘Pay as you go’ accounts will require a Real Me login which can be created during the registration process with NZTA. If you are setting up an account as a business your New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) will also be required.
‘Fleet average’ – imported vehicles are assessed and charged annually during the year. If total CO2 emissions at year end exceed the standard’s targets, a charge will be imposed. Existing credits can be used to offset any charges.
- Businesses that have been trading for five years or more can apply to NZTA for a fleet average account. Financial information, trading history, current credit rating and other information will be requested, and assessed as part of the application process.
FAQ
- Do I need to create a CO2 account?
- All light vehicle importers (private/companies/RMVT) regardless of how many vehicles you import, must have a carbon emissions account setup for importing vehicles into New Zealand. This applies whether the vehicle is being imported for sale or for personal use.
- What happens if I do not register an account?
- Emissions data for each vehicle must be entered into CO2 account and completed before the vehicle is presented for certification. Without this information, vehicles will not be able to complete entry certification and be registered.
- What can I do with my credits?
- Transfer / trade of carbon credits will be made available from early next year and dealers intending to participate in trading must met AML (Anti – Money Laundering) verification requirements.
- Credits can be used to offset charges / traded to other importers but have no direct monetary value. Vehicles under the target will have credits added to the importer’s CO2 balance and can be banked for following years.
The table below provides a guide for the C02 annual targets for the coming years:
| Pay as you go | Fleet average | |
| Penalty rate for vehicles above the weight adjusted target (every gram in exceedance) | $18.00 NZD | $22.50 NZD |
Autohub NZ will be opening its own account and will be looking to provide CCS management services to importers that do not wish to open their own account. More details on this will be announced soon.
If you want more information on the incoming changes, please contact customerservices@autohub.co.nz.
Kind Regards
Team Autohub