Millions of electric vehicle drivers across Britain are facing significant new road tax charges under government proposals set to be announced this Wednesday.
The New Mileage-Based Charge
Under plans expected from the Labour Party government, EV drivers completing 8,900 miles or more annually could face supplementary charges from 2028. This new system would operate alongside traditional vehicle excise duty (VED), creating an additional cost for high-mileage electric car users.
The Department for Transport reveals that battery electric vehicles typically cover greater distances than petrol equivalents, averaging approximately 8,900 miles in 2024. With a proposed rate of 3p per mile, this would generate an extra £267 per vehicle from the 1.4 million electric cars currently on UK roads.
Industry Experts Voice Concerns
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation motoring thinktank, highlighted potential privacy concerns. "The amount of data being generated by the modern car is phenomenal," he noted. "If the DfT or DVLA start tracking their movements, people think Big Brother is watching."
Ginny Buckley of Electrifying.com warned about the financial impact on certain EV owners. "If you can't rely on off-peak, affordable home charging and you're reliant on the public charging network, for many people it will cost you more per mile to run your EV than it will a petrol car," she explained.
Broader Transport Taxation Implications
Professor Graham Parkhurst from the University of the West of England described the VAT disparity between domestic and public charging as a "political timebomb." While supporting distance-based charging in principle, he emphasised the need for careful implementation within wider transport taxation reforms.
Stuart Masson of The Car Expert criticised the approach as "yet another round of muddled, whack-a-mole politics" and called for clearer long-term strategy rather than piecemeal changes to the existing tax structure.
The proposed system could involve either self-declared mileage estimates or odometer checks during MOT tests, though specific implementation details remain under discussion ahead of Wednesday's expected announcement.
