New electric vehicle mile checks plan scrapped

Plans for mileage checks on new electric cars and plug-in hybrid vehicles have been dropped.

The Treasury announced the decision in response to a consultation on electric vehicle excise duty.

The per mile rate will initially be 3p for electric vehicles and 1.5p for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Officials will use mileage data collected during annual MOTs to ensure figures supplied by drivers are accurate.

A consultation launched last year set out plans for cars under three-years-old – which do not need an MOT – to be taken to an “accredited provider” around their first and second anniversary for mileage checks.

But the Treasury has now scrapped the proposal.

The system – known as eVED – will instead rely on motorists to provide accurate mileage estimates, with the first check carried out when cars have their inaugural MOT on their third anniversary.

Balancing payments will be required if the mileage exceeds estimates.

The Treasury said the DVLA will have the power to require an official mileage check outside the MOT cycle, including for vehicles under three-years-old, where there is a “reasonable suspicion of fraud or non-compliance”.

Tanya Sinclair, chief executive of lobby group Electric Vehicles UK, said the Government has “listened where it matters”.

She added: “Dropping mandatory mileage checks for cars under three years removes a significant speed bump that would have been a burden on new drivers and big fleets.

“Where the Government still needs to do better is in how it communicates its policies to drivers.

“We still have a mix of incentives, taxes, grants and policies which don’t clearly echo its vision of an all-electric future.”

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