2025 could be the year pay-per-mile road tax finally arrives
With the switch to EVs taking chunks out of fuel duty, editor Paul Barker thinks the Government will soon have to decide what comes next
Welcome to 2025, which is going to be another fascinating, transitional and controversial year. Our motoring wishes include a predictable focus on different powertrains and the move towards electrification, through to design trends and the new tax threat to the pick-up truck market. No matter where you look in the motoring world, there’s something going on.
I also wonder if 2025 is the year that road user charging finally takes a big step towards reality. With the switch to electric taking ever-increasing chunks out of fuel duty revenues, at some point a government will have to decide what comes next.
Petrol cars will be on the road for many, many years to come, but every electric car sold is one fewer visiting petrol stations and pumping money into Treasury coffers.
Road user charging has a number of hefty issues to negotiate – including the tech, fairness of implementation and privacy – but in the long term it’s likely to be the direction of travel. Throw in the constant losing battle against potholes and potential changes to the EV sales targets, and the Government has plenty to get on with.
Those EV targets currently have manufacturers tasked with a 28 per cent share of their new car sales being fully electric models, but the struggles to hit the 2024 target of 22 per cent have badly distorted the market, with massive discounts emerging on EVs as manufacturers battle to avoid big fines. It’s clear it’s not working as hoped, and the Government has promised a fast-track review.
Then there’s the raft of exciting new cars coming. From humble to high-performance, there’s something for everyone hitting UK showrooms, and plenty more being secretly worked on in manufacturer HQs across the world that we’ll keep you up to date with via rumours, spy shots or concept car unveils.
There’ll be plenty of surprises, too. This time last year we didn’t see Jaguar’s controversy blowing up quite so spectacularly, for example. I’m excited to see what 2025 brings the motoring world, and just as excited to make sure we keep bringing it to you first!
Would you be in favour of a pay-per-mile scheme? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section...
