Rachel Reeves is considering a pay-per-mile tax on electric vehicles (EVs) as part of her forthcoming Budget, in a move that could raise hundreds of millions of pounds a year and help offset the sharp decline in fuel duty revenues caused by Britain’s shift to greener transport.
The proposed levy, expected to feature in the 26 November Budget, would see EV drivers charged around 3p per mile, adding an average of £250 a year to running costs. The new duty would sit alongside existing road taxes, which electric vehicle owners became liable for from April this year.
A government spokesperson said the move was designed to make motoring taxation “fairer for all drivers”, noting that petrol and diesel motorists currently pay around £600 annually in fuel duty while EV owners pay none. “Fuel duty covers petrol and diesel, but there’s no equivalent for electric vehicles. We want a fairer system for all drivers,” the spokesperson said.
The proposed pay-per-mile charge is being considered as part of the Chancellor’s efforts to fill a £20–30 billion fiscal gap over the remainder of the Parliament. According to the Daily Telegraph, which first reported the plan, the system would be introduced in 2028, following a public consultation.
By then, around four million Britons are expected to drive electric cars or vans, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The trade body, however, warned that the measure could undermine the UK’s fragile EV transition.
“We recognise the need for a new approach to motoring taxes,” the SMMT said, “but at such a pivotal moment in the UK’s EV transition, this would be entirely the wrong measure at the wrong time.”
Jon Lawes, managing director at Novuna Vehicle Solutions, said that while a fairer tax system was inevitable, affordability and infrastructure should take priority. “The cost of EVs and charging availability remain major barriers,” he said, urging the government to accelerate charger deployment, extend grants, and boost incentives for used EVs.
The government has already invested £4 billion to support the transition to electric vehicles, including grants worth up to £3,750 per vehicle. But the Chancellor faces growing pressure to broaden the tax base as fuel duty receipts decline, with analysts estimating the Treasury could lose more than £25 billion annually by the early 2030s as the combustion fleet shrinks.
Policy analysts say the pay-per-mile scheme would mark a significant shift in transport taxation, replacing fuel-based levies with usage-based charges. The Campaign for Better Transport and the Tony Blair Institute have both called for road pricing in recent years, suggesting a 1p-per-mile charge for cars and vans and up to 4p for heavy goods vehicles.
Even with a 3p charge, analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit suggests that EVs would remain around £1,000 cheaper per year to run than petrol vehicles.
“This announcement comes shortly after the government weakened its EV sales targets under industry pressure,” said Colin Walker, the unit’s head of transport. “That could allow more hybrids on the road that burn five times more fuel than advertised, costing drivers hundreds more a year.”
Treasury insiders have framed the proposal as a matter of fairness rather than revenue-raising, but its timing — as Labour prepares a tax-heavy second Budget — underscores the government’s growing dilemma: how to fund Britain’s transition to net zero without stalling public adoption of clean technologies.
As Reeves finalises her Budget, the EV tax debate will test Labour’s ability to balance fiscal discipline, industrial policy, and environmental ambition — a triad that could define the economic tone of the new government.
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Rachel Reeves considers pay-per-mile tax on electric vehicles to plug £30bn fiscal gap
