-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
EV's to pay Road Tax from April 2025
- Thread starter Alan J
- Start date
Jason71
Well-Known Member
yes that is what will happen.
buyers of new diesels and EV's of equivalent cost will pay the same.
but if there is a segment of the market that is torn between a 2016 diesel or a 2020 EV then yes I guess this could be a deciding factor
(why do I say 2020 EV not 2017? because pre 2020 the number of EV's sold and therefore available used is statistically negligible)
OK understood,
So since the road tax is based on CO2 grams/mile (I thought it was?), this sends us a message that my son's diesel is better for the environment than an electric car.
So we should use diesel cars.
It isn't about CO2 per mile, the changes to VED in 2017 means that only in the first year there is a fee based on your emissions, but for every subsequent year everyone pays the same. This is one of the reasons hideous gas guzzling SUVs hold their value as after the initial purchase they cost the same as any other car. Now they will cost the same as EVs.
This act of stupidity was the work of Chris "Failing" Grayling when he was transport minister, you know, the same one who spent 14M to buy extra ferries from a company that didn't have any ferries.
phil4
Member
It's defo not done in a way that gives any advantage to EV's.
But £165 (and probably even the extra £355 tax for being expensive) are just one of the reasons to go EV, and in the scheme of things a small part compared to the "fuel cost", which is still very much cheaper than petrol.
That will of course change too I expect, but I suspect it'll be when there's a much greater proportion of EVs on the road, not just 50% new.
But £165 (and probably even the extra £355 tax for being expensive) are just one of the reasons to go EV, and in the scheme of things a small part compared to the "fuel cost", which is still very much cheaper than petrol.
That will of course change too I expect, but I suspect it'll be when there's a much greater proportion of EVs on the road, not just 50% new.
Quoting BBC, is this correct from the second year? I thought the £355 surcharge was only after the 5th tax year?
It means anyone buying a new car - electric or otherwise - priced at more than £40,000 will face having to pay £165 in tax plus a £355 expensive car supplement every year from the second to sixth year of registration.
It means anyone buying a new car - electric or otherwise - priced at more than £40,000 will face having to pay £165 in tax plus a £355 expensive car supplement every year from the second to sixth year of registration.
OK, thanks for that...
So now diesel 4x4s cost the same as EVs to tax (except the first year)
If you have no home charging, then a regular (efficient) diesel will probably cost similar to fuel as an EV.
But the EV is way more expensive to buy (thus higher road taxes)
Similar cost to fuel (if no home charger available)
Takes longer to 'fuel' up.
Has far less range.
Imagine I don't own an EV for a moment,
Given the above why would I buy one?
Absolutely no issue with paying all my due taxes, and I deeply value our public services and strongly wish the staff working for them were treated more fairly.
Please don't fall for the 'well someone's got to pay for it' fantasy, this is a political decision to extract more tax through a number of routes, make your own decisions on where you think that money is actually going, certainly doesn't seem to be to the public sector.
Please don't fall for the 'well someone's got to pay for it' fantasy, this is a political decision to extract more tax through a number of routes, make your own decisions on where you think that money is actually going, certainly doesn't seem to be to the public sector.
Exactly, they have shot themselves in the foot.
The only other route they are going to use is to keep pushing petrol/diesel prices up year on year so people are forced to change
Look at this, a balanced and reasonable comment on TMC, well I never…
Agree with everything above. Plus I’ve had the feeling for a while that personal car transport is going to eventually get to the point where your average household can no longer expect to 2 or 3 sat on the drive (or more likely cluttering up the street in most cases). I reckon the good times of easy car ownership are ending in the UK at least.
Performance?
People buy cars for lots of different reasons and I find it strange that people would spend £50k+ on a car to save money. If saving money is your priority then there are many cheaper options - including other EVs.
A fair point indeed.
I'm just trying to look at this from a view where:
Average man (or a friend) in the street walks up to you and says 'nice car, should I go electric, what will it cost me?'
I now know the answer: 'stick to the diesel car you already own, as it's the cheapest and most convenient option'
My learner son with with his £0 tax diesel car won't buy an EV for many, many years I'm sure.
Does everyone only buy cars based on which is the cheapest to purchase and run? certainly doesn't seem to be the case when I look at all the premium german brands and SUVs on the road.
This is where the argument for EVs has been wrong for a long time. The lead feature should never have been that it's 'cheaper' to run. It is better to drive, more convenient to live with if you can charge at home, and better for the environment if you need to own a car. That should be enough, that's how people choose cars.
Last edited:
Also, many people switch cars after 5 years. Which I imagine most Tesla owners will do by then and get the next best deal (performance, feature, warranty, tax rate etc)
You are right of course.
Some ask me as an EV owner:
I'm looking at a 2nd hand EV (my old car isn't running all that well etc), maybe 2 year old, to 'do the right thing' and reduce my costs on fuel, servicing, tax etc
How does it work out?
In the past I used to say, if you can charge mostly at home, you'll likely save in the long run.
But with the way the tax is going and costs of supercharging (even home power prices) etc, i think my advice will now be, run the old car for along as poss, then buy another efficient diesel.
But for those with more money available, an EV is probably the right way to go for sure.
I'm just trying to look at mass EV adoption as 2nd hand ones become more affordable.
It can be very misleading to judge anyone by appearances. Many don't own the car outright. But many do choose a car based upon affordability, which is different to cheapest.
Perceived savings is an effective way to encourage change. If someone feels they are saving then the sweetener worked, even when an external observer sees otherwise.
HenryT
Active Member
It's great that most people here aren't too concerned about this. In the great scheme of things, neither am I. It is a cost I can absorb.
What is troubling is the reducing appeal of getting an EV. The cost of the vehicle is going up (the Model 3 LR costs about £10k more than it did last year), the cost of charging it may soon reach parity with petrol prices (if you are reliant on public chargers), and now the government slap on an annual tax of £165 - which would be a lot lower if you chose to drive an old fossil fuel car instead.
I'm very lucky - my car has a big battery and I have a cheap tariff at home, so I hardly ever need to charge on a public charger. And £165 a year for a tax isn't exactly going to make me starve. But I'd hate to be an owner of a cheaper EV with no home charging right now. It would just feel like a targeted hit. I can imagine people looking at getting cheap EVs could now just cut their losses and stick with fossil, the way things are currently going.
What is troubling is the reducing appeal of getting an EV. The cost of the vehicle is going up (the Model 3 LR costs about £10k more than it did last year), the cost of charging it may soon reach parity with petrol prices (if you are reliant on public chargers), and now the government slap on an annual tax of £165 - which would be a lot lower if you chose to drive an old fossil fuel car instead.
I'm very lucky - my car has a big battery and I have a cheap tariff at home, so I hardly ever need to charge on a public charger. And £165 a year for a tax isn't exactly going to make me starve. But I'd hate to be an owner of a cheaper EV with no home charging right now. It would just feel like a targeted hit. I can imagine people looking at getting cheap EVs could now just cut their losses and stick with fossil, the way things are currently going.
I think there's an interesting thing here.
I think it's logical that the cost of charging will reach parity with fossil fuels. There's a huge market of people willing and able to pay those prices for mobility... What right-thinking capitalist would ignore that level of price-tolerance? It would be leaving money on the table, unless the government intervened recognising that lower transport overheads would have net economic gain.
This then leads to a possible conclusion of price parity with fossil fuels incentivising self-generation in the form solar PV and the like. That would be a win-win: people get EVs (meaning less pollution) so that they can then generate their own fuel and not have to pay for it.
I still reckon the government would tax electricity generation at some point, though. Are there any examples of people creating value without it being taxed?
