[AdrianB1]

We do it different in Europe: pay disproportionate by engine displacement. My father's car has 10x the taxes as my mother's car just because the engine is 1.6 times larger (2.5 liters, nothing outrageous). At the same time my mother pays for that car quite close to what I pay for each of my bikes that are 8-10 times lighter and have way smaller engines (300cc and 600cc).

[closewith]

Where in Europe is that?

In Ireland, displacement-based taxes were replaced by emission taxes 14 years ago. I think most countries have followed suite.

[ncruces]

Which is a much better system. My country (Portugal) still does mostly displacement, and a turbo-charged 1 liter pays a lot less than a naturally aspirated 1.6 hybrid, despite the former consuming 50% more gas.

[AdrianB1]

Romania, but neighboring countries have similar systems.

[M95D]

> We do it different in Europe

> Romania

Oh, please stop using Romania as an example for Europe. We're the banana country here.

[nradov]

The notion of charging different fees or taxes by engine displacement is idiotic. It has nothing particularly to do with road wear, emissions, or safety hazards.

[heisenbit]

If you want a measure that can not be easily manipulated and can serve as an albeit imperfect proxy for wear, emissions, weight and last but not least ability to pay then displacement is an option for taxation.

[kwhitefoot]

Larger displacement engines are almost invariably in larger, heavier, vehicles. Axle weight determines road wear. I agree that using the axle weight would be better but displacement taxes were also a luxury tax.

Some of my cars over the years:

Mini: 600 kg, 850 cc

Rover 75: 1 700 kg, 2 500 cc

Chevy Van: 2500 kg, 5 000 cc

[AnthonyMouse]

> Larger displacement engines are almost invariably in larger, heavier, vehicles.

This isn't even a good approximation because turbochargers (which nearly all heavy, diesel vehicles have) significantly increase power at the same displacement. The 5 liter Mustang weighs less than 4000 pounds. Here's a >10,000 pound bus with a 3.2L diesel engine:

https://www.tescobus.com/bus-for-sale/collins/school/