Gordon Brown was accused last night of misleading MPs by claiming that a majority of drivers would be better off under changes to car tax.

New figures released yesterday show that only 33 per cent of cars will be taxed at a lower rate after the introduction of a new sliding scale designed to hit the most polluting vehicles.

Angela Eagle, the Exchequer Secretary, disclosed that 8.7 million people will pay more Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) in the year that the changes come into effect – about 44 per cent. The figure, in a parliamentary answer, is an increase on previous Treasury estimates about the losers under the scheme, which affects vehicles up to seven years old.

Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, avoided a Commons rebellion last week after assuring Labour MPs that he was prepared to look again at the issue. His difficulties increased last night after the Tories said that the Prime Minister told MPs last month that most drivers would be better off.

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George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor, said: “Gordon Brown appears to have misled Parliament. He said that the majority of drivers would benefit from the changes to VED. Now even the Treasury have admitted that just a third of drivers will be better off in 2009, dropping to less than 20 per cent in 2010.”

A Treasury spokesman said: “As we have consistently made clear, while more polluting vehicles will face higher charges, under the new bands of VED the majority of motorists will be better or no worse off.”

In a separate answer, Ms Eagle said that five of the thirty most popular cars would be taxed more heavily: the 2.2l diesel Land Rover Freelander, the 1.6l unleaded Toyota Auris, the 2.2l diesel Honda CR-V, the 1.8l unleaded Vauxhall Vectra and the 1.6l unleaded Vauxhall Zafira.