Road tax -no savings with EV after all

Mollygo

You don’t have to defend them Mamie.
Comparing cars with lorries is the same for EVs as it is for other cars.

I’ve read the blurb, including
^EVs, while potentially having better regenerative braking systems, can still experience faster tyre wear due to their weight and the potential for aggressive acceleration.^

Interestingly we get an email with a monthly evaluation of acceleration, braking and what is called allure (in French!) which seems to be how smoothly you move between the two. Performing well means that we get a discount on our insurance. Regenerative braking accounts for about 90% and obviously restores range as well as avoiding brake use except when needed.
The point about road use is that the evidence says the difference between EV and ICE is minimal compared with HGV.
I have no problem with road tax for all vehicles if it is used to maintain roads, (though there is no road tax in France and we have fewer chickens' nests than you have potholes). 😂

You don’t have to defend them Mamie.
Comparing cars with lorries is the same for EVs as it is for other cars.

I’ve read the blurb, including
EVs, while potentially having better regenerative braking systems, can still experience faster tyre wear due to their weight and the potential for aggressive acceleration.

Mollygo

Mamie

For us it is improving air quality and fuel costs. EVs also produce less brake dust and tyre pollution on roads because of regenerative braking.
I suspect people do not take that into account.

But the wear of heavier vehicles probably balances that out.

The research shows that the difference in wear on the road is nothing compared with HGVs and heavy vehicles like, for example, petrol tankers.
EVs are getting lighter as battery technology improves.
Our small EV weighs far less that a big SUV.

Mamie

For us it is improving air quality and fuel costs. EVs also produce less brake dust and tyre pollution on roads because of regenerative braking.
I suspect people do not take that into account.

But the wear of heavier vehicles probably balances that out.

Oldfrill, I agree with you. Lots of people think it is used for maintenance costs of the roads they use. It would be useful if it was more transparent on what it is actually being spent on.

For us it is improving air quality and fuel costs. EVs also produce less brake dust and tyre pollution on roads because of regenerative braking.
I suspect people do not take that into account.

Isn’t the selling point of an Ev that it significantly reduces your fuel costs? I thought that was why most people bought them?

Grantanow
I agree about if you can afford a new EV you can afford the tax. afford the tax,
But EV’s double selling points were that you were nobly saving the planet and saving some money on tax for yourself.
Both of those statements are now either questionable or wrong.

I'm not entirely convinced by the black hole story. Public finances are public documents available to Parliament. On the EV point if you can afford a new EV you can afford the tax.

sazz1

This Labour government is taxing as many things as it can. It's a disgrace

We demand a better NHS, better care services, cleaner water, now the US wants to stop defending Europe, so higher defence spending, yes taxes are going to rise.

The sooner we accept that the better.

sazz1

This Labour government is taxing as many things as it can. It's a disgrace

It’s a problem if you said you wouldn’t raise taxes.
But like every government I’ve known, they’ve been left with a terrible amount of debt by the previous government, of which they were unaware whilst in opposition.

This Labour government is taxing as many things as it can. It's a disgrace

The incentive has turned round now, taxation on new petrol cars has been increased, particularly large ones

rosie1959

Seems sensible that all vehicles that use the roads pay road tax although by the state of the roads you wouldn't think anyone did. I don't particularly agree with the expensive car supplement. Expensive cars do not use the roads any differently from cheaper ones, so why are they taxed more?

Exensive cars are usually bigger and heavier than other cars so cause more damage to the roads, in the same way electric cars with their very heavy batteries do.

They are also too big for many car park spaces and make manouvreing round car parks much more difficult for those of us with more modestly sized cars.

Old Frill I never gave it a thought. We usually call it car tax.

With all the potholes around that account must be building up nicely. 😂

MaizieD

OldFrill

It's the list price, not the cost price that shoves cars into the luxury tax bracket, so beware if you buy at a discount you may have to pay the extra tax.
Road tax goes into the general tax pot and isn't solely used for road maintenance.

There is no such thing as 'road tax', it hasn't existed for decades (since 1937 ).

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41212379

OldFrill is right...

I simply used "road" tax instead of "vehicle" tax as it's in the OP's title. Many folk still think it's used for road maintenance.

I think the principle of taxing vehicle owners is okay because they use the roads, and it doesn’t really matter if the payment goes directly towards maintaining roads or not. Government funds roads, whether directly or indirectly, I just wish they would allocate more funding to bring them back up to scratch - what I really object to is vehicles being damaged, and accidents caused, due to potholes.

OldFrill

It's the list price, not the cost price that shoves cars into the luxury tax bracket, so beware if you buy at a discount you may have to pay the extra tax.
Road tax goes into the general tax pot and isn't solely used for road maintenance.

There is no such thing as 'road tax', it hasn't existed for decades (since 1937 ).

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41212379

OldFrill is right...

It's the list price, not the cost price that shoves cars into the luxury tax bracket, so beware if you buy at a discount you may have to pay the extra tax.
Road tax goes into the general tax pot and isn't solely used for road maintenance.

rosie1959

Seems sensible that all vehicles that use the roads pay road tax although by the state of the roads you wouldn't think anyone did. I don't particularly agree with the expensive car supplement. Expensive cars do not use the roads any differently from cheaper ones, so why are they taxed more?

Presumably because they think if you can afford the car, you can afford the cost.
It didn’t make sense to me either and I didn’t find any explanation.

It was an incentive to encourage people to buy EVs - like an introductory offer.
Those days are gone!

Seems sensible that all vehicles that use the roads pay road tax although by the state of the roads you wouldn't think anyone did. I don't particularly agree with the expensive car supplement. Expensive cars do not use the roads any differently from cheaper ones, so why are they taxed more?

Electric cars actually cause far more potholes and damage to the road than conventional cars, so it seems only fair that road tax is paid on them.
Some multi storey car parks are also at risk as they were not designed to take the extra weight of EVs

Always thought they pay some form of Road Tax, they use the roads.
They contribute to the general wear and tear of the road infrastructure same as any car.