FTAO EV owners - possible action required before end of March-24

[mik]

Good evening.

EV owners currently pay £0 per month, £0 per 6months, or £0 per year for VED.

Our UK Government has now decided this is a BAD IDEA, and from 01-Apr-2025, EV's will be eligible for VED. See HERE.


I do not own an EV, but I opened this thread. Should I just move along, nothing to see here?
Jeez, FOMO much? Yes. Off you toddle. Unless you know someone with an EV of course, in which case.....

What should I do?
You may choose to do nothing.

Is there anything else I should consider doing?
Thanks for asking. Yes. You could consider taxing your car before the end of March-2024.

But my EV is already taxed until <future date>
That's OK. You can go to https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax and re-tax your vehicle, holding (physically or in your brain) a combination of your registration number, and your V5 ownership document/registration certificate/logbook (or whatever you call your V5). This will allow you to tax your car from 01-Mar-2024 to 01-Mar-2025 for £0. (Unfortunately they will not refund all or part of the £0 you have already paid for your current VED )

Does this mean I wont have to pay the new EV VED charge?
No. But it does mean that the first time you will have to pay VED is 01-Mar-2026, which just delays the start of this cycle for you to as late a point as possible.

I can't be bothered doing that.
That's OK. I don't really care what you do.

Is that all?
Yes

You have a nice day mik
And you sir/madam

[Jimexpl]

So your Audi will go from £0 to £600 for a few years then another random calculation will be made...

I have no issue with road tax as long as the roads are actually maintained, and I still don't get the logic when people say they won't buy cars in the >225 tax bands - the difference is two tanks of fuel.

[Rich B]

Interesting, nice work Mik

[Sundayjumper]

I can't say I've ever tried it, but can you really re-tax your car when the existing tax hasn't run out ? I'd always rather assumed it needs to be SORNed or already expired or else "computer says no" because it doesn't need taxing.

I know you can renew *shortly* before it expires, but in that case it just follows on, it doesn't backdate to the start of the current month.

[Sundayjumper]

I have no issue with road tax as long as the roads are actually maintained...

It's not road tax, and hasn't been for a very long time.

[mik]

I can't say I've ever tried it, but can you really re-tax your car when the existing tax hasn't run out ? I'd always rather assumed it needs to be SORNed or already expired or else "computer says no" because it doesn't need taxing.

Yes - I followed the above process this morning. Mrs mik's E-Tron was taxed until late 2024, and the system warned me twice that the vehicle was already taxed, and was I sure I really wanted to re-tax it? I confirmed "Ja", and the process completed. Received an email confirming 1yr tax (01-Mar-24 to 01-Mar-25) - as normal.

[Sundayjumper]

I can't say I've ever tried it, but can you really re-tax your car when the existing tax hasn't run out ? I'd always rather assumed it needs to be SORNed or already expired or else "computer says no" because it doesn't need taxing.

Yes - I followed the above process this morning. Mrs mik's E-Tron was taxed until late 2024, and the system warned me twice that the vehicle was already taxed, and was I sure I really wanted to re-tax it? I confirmed "Ja", and the process completed. Received an email confirming 1yr tax (01-Mar-24 to 01-Mar-25) - as normal.

Huh. You learn something every day !

[Swervin_Mervin]

No. But it does mean that the first time you will have to pay VED is 01-Mar-2026, which just delays the start of this cycle for you to as late a point as possible.

Not 2025?

[mik]

No. But it does mean that the first time you will have to pay VED is 01-Mar-2026, which just delays the start of this cycle for you to as late a point as possible.

Not 2025?

No - because the new VED rates are applicable as of 01-Apr-2025. (See the RAC link in my original post).

Doing what is suggested above allows you to ensure you can process a years road tax on 01-Mar-25 for £0, as opposed to the £180-odds you'd have to pay for the same from 01-Apr-25 onwards*.

* until they change everything again of course.

[scotta]

I can't say I've ever tried it, but can you really re-tax your car when the existing tax hasn't run out ? I'd always rather assumed it needs to be SORNed or already expired or else "computer says no" because it doesn't need taxing.

Yes - I followed the above process this morning. Mrs mik's E-Tron was taxed until late 2024, and the system warned me twice that the vehicle was already taxed, and was I sure I really wanted to re-tax it? I confirmed "Ja", and the process completed. Received an email confirming 1yr tax (01-Mar-24 to 01-Mar-25) - as normal.

Huh. You learn something every day !

Which is unusual when talking to @mik

[Ascender]

Every day's a school day.... I genuinely didn't know you could do that.

[Swervin_Mervin]

No. But it does mean that the first time you will have to pay VED is 01-Mar-2026, which just delays the start of this cycle for you to as late a point as possible.

Not 2025?

No - because the new VED rates are applicable as of 01-Apr-2025. (See the RAC link in my original post).

Doing what is suggested above allows you to ensure you can process a years road tax on 01-Mar-25 for £0, as opposed to the £180-odds you'd have to pay for the same from 01-Apr-25 onwards*.

* until they change everything again of course.

Ahhhh. Clever boy

[Barry]

Just picked my new EV up, and this probably explains one of the reasons it's a fairly cheap lease, they'll avoid this tax change

[Carlos]

I've just retaxed mine and its still showing as due 1st April 2025!

I'll check again later.

[Beany]

Took me a minute to get my head around all that, but yeah, that makes sense.

I've passed it on to my work Slack, as some of them have leccy cars.

[Swervin_Mervin]

Just to get this straight for the rest of us fossil-burners - Can I re-tax my car right now at the current rate (£395 for Band K) and at least put off the 5% increase until next March?

[Jobbo]

Just to get this straight for the rest of us fossil-burners - Can I re-tax my car right now at the current rate (£395 for Band K) and at least put off the 5% increase until next March?

If you can (and I'm not sure you can), you'd definitely lose one month's tax that you've paid for this month - you won't get a refund for March and you'll have to pay for March in the new application. So you'd pay around 8.3% to save around 5%...

[Swervin_Mervin]

Good point!

[Mito Man]

Looks like EVs are now at the critical mass point where they are costing the government and local councils money. EV parking concessions removed from Westminster city council. And whenever one council does something the others follow shortly after.
I imagine they’ll be charged Congestion Charge soon too.
Along with the higher insurance and higher depreciation they look increasingly less attractive.
Then again you just don’t know wtf to do in London, the 2025 zero emission only zone idea got scrapped but the politicians are in their own bubble and come up with these shit ideas over night then revoke them years later just before they’re implemented.

[Carlos]

Cheers Mik, it has updated to March 1st 2025