Skip advert
Advertisement

EV owners and Blue Badge holders urged to dodge new road tax rules

New VED charge kicks in from April, but EV owners can re-tax early to avoid paying anything in 2025

Kia EV3 - front cornering

EV owners facing the end of the road for the road tax/vehicle excise duty (VED) exemption for electric cars, have a few weeks left to re-tax their vehicles at no charge for the year ahead.

You don’t need your current road tax to expire before taxing your car for another year, because a foible of the system means owners can opt to reset their annual renewal date to this month, even if they’ve still got weeks or months of their existing car tax left to run.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Doing so will mean skipping the £195 standard charge for up to a full year, because anyone taxing an EV that was first registered after 31 March 2017 will be liable to pay VED at the standard rate from April. 

The new VED rules also mean electric cars will be subject to the expensive car supplement from April. This will mean anyone registering an EV that costs more than £40k new after that date will pay a whopping £620 annually from years two to five – after which the tax reverts to the standard £195 charge.

Meanwhile Blue Badge holders who have registered an EV in the last eight years are being urged to check their exemption entitlement before forking out on the road tax being newly applied to electric vehicles.

According to Matt Fieldhouse of mobility firm Mobility in Motion, “Millions of disabled drivers who are reliant on public charging points for their EVs or hybrid vehicles could wrongly fork out £195 in road tax this April.”
That’s because many Blue Badge holders are exempt from paying VED, including those getting higher or enhanced-rate mobility components of Disability Allowances or Personal Independence Payments, or those entitled to the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement or Armed Forces Independence Payment.  

Our Car Tax Checker tool lets you check your tax status and renewal date in seconds. Check your VED car tax now...

Skip advert
Advertisement
Current affairs and features editor

Chris covers all aspects of motoring life for Auto Express. Over a long career he has contributed news and car reviews to brands such as Autocar, WhatCar?, PistonHeads, Goodwood and The Motor Trader.

Find a car with the experts

Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Xiaomi YU7 2025 review: a world-beating new EV to worry the establishment
Xiaomi YU7 - front cornering

New Xiaomi YU7 2025 review: a world-beating new EV to worry the establishment

BMW or Mercedes would do anything to keep the new Xiaomi YU7 from sale in the UK and Europe, and this is why
Road tests
14 Jul 2025
Electric Car Grant in detail: Which cars will get the UK EV discount?
Auto Express creative director Darren Wilson charging the Lexus RZ

Electric Car Grant in detail: Which cars will get the UK EV discount?

The government has set out its plan to help reduce the cost of affordable EVs by introducing a new £3,750 Electric Car Grant for new EVs sold under £3…
News
18 Jul 2025
Electric Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake will keep going long after rivals need to stop
Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake - front action

Electric Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake will keep going long after rivals need to stop

The second of Merc’s new-era EVs is here in the form of an attractive estate with a huge range
News
14 Jul 2025