Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the fee in her Autumn Budget to offset lost fuel duty as EVs rise. Pure battery electrics face 3p per mile, plug-in hybrids 1.5p. A typical 8,500-mile driver pays £255 yearly, half the fuel duty hit on petrol cars. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts £1.1 billion revenue by 2028-29, climbing to £1.9 billion later. No MOT needed on new cars? Reeves dodged monitoring details in interviews, fueling speculation on tech enforcement.
FairFuelUK founder Howard Cox calls EVs "guinea pigs" for broader control. Speaking to Express.co.uk, he predicts petrol and diesel drivers next. "This is the thin end of the wedge," Cox said. "EVs test digital ID tracking of all road movements." Modern cars pack GPS and telematics already. Government could tap in via apps or black boxes, he argues, birthing a surveillance web without physical tolls.
History echoes the dread. A 2007 national road pricing push drew 1.8 million petition signatures against satellite tracking. Fears of Big Brother on wheels killed it. Today's EV tax revives those ghosts amid privacy rows over ANPR cameras and ULEZ zones. Cox vows FairFuelUK fights lower taxes for all.
Critics split. RAC's Simon Williams welcomes the fuel duty freeze but flags short relief before hikes. InstaVolt's Delvin Lane says it slams low-income rural drivers reliant on public charging. AA president Edmund King sees drivers squeezed at a net zero pivot. Proponents eye fairness as fuel taxes fade with EV mandates by 2030.
Roads need funding. Digital tracking? Cross that bridge when miles rack up. For now, Cox's wedge looks sharp.
