Ford is offering up to £3,000 off on selected models in its commercial vehicle range for London-based customers that scrap their old vans.

Owners of vans that are 10 or more years old will qualify for up to £3,000 off a new Ford van.

The Ford commercial vehicle scheme provides the following discounts in addition to the current retail customer savings on offer:

• Fiesta Van £1,000 scrappage scheme discount
• Transit Connect £1,500 scrappage scheme discount
• Transit (Front-wheel drive) £2,000 scrappage scheme discount
• Transit V348 (Rear-wheel drive) £3,000 scrappage scheme discount

The news follows the announcement by the Mayor of London that he is joining major vehicle manufacturers to deliver financial support for van and minibus drivers affected by the tighter standards that will be applied to the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) from January 3, 2012.

Owners of larger vans and minibuses from the Greater London area who do not meet the required emissions standards by this date, will have to pay a £100 daily charge or risk a £500 penalty.

The LEZ initiative was introduced in 2008 to encourage the most polluting vehicle drivers in the capital, to become cleaner. When the LEZ standards become more stringent from January, an additional 72,000 larger vans and minibuses will have to meet the lower emissions requirements designed to tackle pollution in the capital.

The Low Emission Zone (LEZ) operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including weekends and public and Bank Holidays and is policed by cameras that read number plates and check them against a database of registered vehicles.