The end of road tax exemptions for electric vehicles (EVs) from 1 April has sparked fierce debate.

While new EVs will pay just £10 in the first year, this is set to rise to £190 annually — still less than the £335 charged for vans. Additionally, from April 2025, EVs worth more than £40,000 will also face a £195 Expensive Car Supplement.

A poll of Independent readers revealed that 70 per cent believe EVs should pay the same road tax as petrol and diesel cars, while 21 per cent think they should pay but less. Just 9 per cent argued EVs should remain exempt.

When we asked for your comments, some said taxing EVs was a step backward in the fight against climate change, pointing out that road maintenance is already funded through council tax and that costly public charging makes EV ownership difficult for those without driveways.

Others insisted EVs still contribute to road wear, particularly as they are heavier than petrol cars. They argued that road tax is essential to fund infrastructure, emergency services, and traffic management.

Here’s what you had to say:

Road tax was abolished in 1937

Road tax was abolished in 1937. Ninety percent of our roads are maintained by local councils, funded by council tax. EV drivers pay council tax (as do cyclists…).

Vehicle Excise Duty has increasingly pivoted towards being a tax on emissions (exclusively so in the first year). There are powerful arguments for encouraging EV ownership and for reducing fossil fuel use. Climate change aside, burning fossil fuels causes 8.34 million global premature deaths annually just from pollution (British Medical Journal).

“Paying for potholes” is simply a non-argument, overtaken by events decades ago.

I understand the government has no money. I get that tax rises are inevitable. But consciously taxing people for contributing to the fight against climate change seems to be a retrograde step, sending all the wrong signals to the population as a whole.

SteveHill

Roads need to be maintained

Even if all vehicles were EVs, would they not still use roads? Of course, they would, and roads need to be maintained to keep them usable and safe for motorists. We know that road maintenance requires huge amounts of money from the exchequer to be spent on materials, engineering, and government-employed staff.

Beyond road maintenance, other essential services such as medical facilities, emergency relief teams, and traffic management also require substantial funding. So where would the government get the necessary funds? Road tax would be a good source.

Road users should have no objection since they are using the roads to run their vehicles, not flying their EVs over them. Sorry for being so straightforward.

Parshuram

Lack of affordable charging infrastructure

As the purchaser of a second-hand small EV (Renault Zoe) and an inhabitant of a house reliant on street parking, I generally pay more per mile for electricity to run my car than the owner of a typical petrol vehicle. Governments have failed miserably to create an affordable charging infrastructure for motorists like myself.

Switching to an EV has reduced my CO2 emissions from nearly a tonne in my previous modest diesel to about 50kg, given the current grid power mix. Grid electricity is taxed heavily, just not directly. The government has chosen to bypass the Inland Revenue and instead impose heavy levies on the price, rewarding low CO2 emission generators.

Evan1960

EVs cause more wear

A typical electric vehicle is heavier than its internal combustion engine counterpart.

So it follows that wear and tear on infrastructure will be greater.

By all means, encourage the transition to EVs, but road tax seems a poor way to go about it.

TheMexican

Too expensive for lower-end buyers

They are expensive and not accessible to second-hand, lower-end vehicle buyers. Perhaps home-produced EVs should be cheaper, but import prices should be higher – particularly Teslas.

Teslas should have 100 per cent tariffs imposed and be double the cost of the most expensive vehicles on the road.

Am I biased? Yes, I really am.

Martyn

We are facing a climate crisis

We seem to have forgotten that we are all facing an existential crisis from global heating and should be doing everything possible right now to reduce CO2 emissions.

So no, EVs should not be taxed. We need every possible incentive for people to adopt them as soon as possible.

Bayleaf65

EVs cause pollution too

Because manufacturers have been electrifying already large vehicles, modern EVs are extremely heavy. They do a lot of damage to roads and create particulate emissions from tyre and brake wear.

They should definitely pay road tax.

Kiku2

Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article here.

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