Half of people want EV tax revenues used to lower charging costs – survey
Nearly half of people (47%) want revenues from electric vehicle (EV) taxes to be used to lower charging costs, a new survey suggests.
EVs lost their exemption from vehicle excise duty (VED) in April, and there is speculation a 3p per mile charge for EVs from 2028 could be announced in the upcoming Budget.
The Treasury faces a reduction in revenue from fuel duty as drivers switch from petrol or diesel cars to electric motoring.
Fuel duty raised just under £25 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.
Consultancy Stonehaven conducted a survey of 2,249 UK adults which indicated 71% think EV owners should pay at least some tax for their driving, with only 14% believing they should pay none at all.
Support for an EV tax increases when people see a clear benefit, the research suggested.
Some 61% of respondents said they would support an EV tax used to improve charging infrastructure, rising to 83% if the revenue was used to fix potholes.
The survey also indicated that 47% of people believe EV taxes should be used to cut public charging prices, while 16% disagree.
A briefing document published by Stonehaven warned that Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces a “wicked problem” as EV taxes could “chill the market” for sales of the vehicles, which would reduce revenue.
It recommended creating a “right to home charge”, reducing public charging costs, and lower EV tax rates for existing owners.
Michael Dnes, Stonehaven’s head of transport policy and a former senior official in the Department for Transport, said: “This polling shows the public are open to a fair deal on EV taxes. But making that deal fair will take some work.
“Right now, there are big differences in how easy it is to go electric, and the system favours people who own a house with a driveway.
“Others can pay 10 times as much to fill the same battery.
“If the Government wants to impose a new tax while raising sales, it needs new measures to grow the market.
“More than 10 million homes are frozen out of cheap charging – and that can be fixed.”
Published: 13/11/2025 by Radio NewsHub