Experts estimate electric vehicle owners relying on public chargers could pay £290 more annually

Rachel Reeves’s new pay-per-mile tax will make petrol cars cheaper to run than electric vehicles (EVs) unless drivers can charge them at home. The Telegraph has the story.

Motorists forced to rely on public chargers will be left paying an estimated £290 more per year in running costs and taxes for their EVs compared to a petrol alternative, according to electric car advice site, Electrifying.com.

Home charging is now a “make or break factor” for electric car affordability following the planned introduction of Rachel Reeves’s pay-per-mile tax, which is intended to replace fuel duty.

The Chancellor confirmed last week that EVs will be subject to a 3p-per-mile levy starting in 2028.

In the wake of the changes, Electrifying.com compared the cost of owning and operating an electric Volkswagen ID.3 with that of a petrol Volkswagen Golf, based on driving both for about 8,000 miles per year.

The electric car’s annual running costs would average about £898, compared with £1,198 for a petrol Volkswagen Golf, based on current prices.

However, drivers without a garage or driveway who rely solely on public charging would see their annual running costs rise sharply, to around £1,490. Approximately 30pc of British households do not have access to off-street parking.

Drivers who can access a cheaper overnight rate when charging at home could enjoy substantially lower running costs, at £558.

Many drivers will likely use a mix of public and private charging, meaning they will be charged up to 60p per kilowatt hour (kWh) on public chargers for at least some of their journeys.

Plug-in hybrids, meanwhile, which will be subject to a 1.5p per mile charge from 2028, would become more expensive to run than a petrol vehicle if they are not regularly charged at home.

However, drivers without a garage or driveway who rely solely on public charging would see their annual running costs rise sharply, to around £1,490. Approximately 30pc of British households do not have access to off-street parking.

Drivers who can access a cheaper overnight rate when charging at home could enjoy substantially lower running costs, at £558.

Many drivers will likely use a mix of public and private charging, meaning they will be charged up to 60p per kilowatt hour (kWh) on public chargers for at least some of their journeys.

Plug-in hybrids, meanwhile, which will be subject to a 1.5p per mile charge from 2028, would become more expensive to run than a petrol vehicle if they are not regularly charged at home.

Read the full story here.