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  "path": "/lifestyle/cars/labour-pay-per-mile-car-taxes-electric-vehicle",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-16T09:24:36.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Rachel Reeves' new road charges risk quadrupling car taxes as drivers face £150 cost hike - 'Not fair'",
    "Octopus launches huge new partnership to save thousands of drivers £1,100 a year - 'Significant step!'",
    "Car giant owner of Vauxhall and Fiat to bring back diesel cars as EV sales fall across major markets",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nMillions of drivers are being impacted by a postcode lottery that could hamper their ability to invest in electric cars and ditch their old petrol and diesel models.\n\nNew research has found that Scotland and the South West of England are \"in danger of being left behind\" in the transition to zero emission vehicles.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nLabour plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, before only electric vehicles will be on sale from 2035.\n\nExperts have highlighted fears that drivers could face difficulties when switching to electric vehicles if they live in rural areas, as it could raise more issues for them.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nResearch has found that an average of 31.2 per cent of Autotrader users looked at one EV advert or more in the last 90 days.\n\nDespite this, there were clear divisions in the amount of interest in electric vehicles depending on where they were searching from.\n\nDrivers in the KW postcode in Wick, Scotland, made up the smallest share of Autotrader users who looked at an electric car, at just 21.4 per cent.\n\nIn comparison, motorists in Warrington (WA postcode), Cheshire, had the highest share of 35.9 per cent.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nIan Plummer, chief customer officer at Autotrader, highlighted that drivers in rural areas face larger hurdles when switching to EVs.\n\nHe specifically pointed out the South West of England and Scotland as areas where \"structural challenges\" rather than a \"lack of appetite\".\n\n\"These areas have more rural communities and longer average driving distances, all of which make switching to electric feel riskier and less practical for drivers - even though that's not necessarily the case,\" Mr Plummer said.\n\nData shows that both regions have more rapid chargers per head than other parts of the UK overall.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Rachel Reeves' new road charges risk quadrupling car taxes as drivers face £150 cost hike - 'Not fair'\n  * Octopus launches huge new partnership to save thousands of drivers £1,100 a year - 'Significant step!'\n  * Car giant owner of Vauxhall and Fiat to bring back diesel cars as EV sales fall across major markets\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThere are large disparities in the number of public chargers around the UK and between regions.\n\nGreater London (27,986) has more than double the number of chargers found in Scotland (7,484), Wales (3,869) and Northern Ireland (675) combined.\n\nIn total, there are 88,513 charging devices around the UK, with drivers able to make use of 122,690 connectors at more than 45,000 locations.\n\nMr Plummer added that the UK needed to get \"serious about nationwide progress\", all people needed to be supported in the transition.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHe suggested that this could be done by \"widening the scope\" of the Electric Car Grant to include the second-hand market, while calling on the Government to \"rethink its policy on taxing EVs\".\n\nChancellor Rachel Reeves announced the introduction of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) in the recent Autumn Budget to replace lost funding from fuel duty.\n\nThe pay-per-mile scheme will charge electric car owners 3p per mile, while hybrids will be charged 1.5p, once the scheme is finalised in 2028.\n\nMr Plummer concluded: \"Introducing pay-per-mile charging sends mixed messages to consumers which risks delaying the UK's transition at a time when only around five per cent of cars on UK roads are electric.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter **",
  "title": "Labour urged to 'rethink' pay-per-mile car taxes amid fears it will 'delay' transition to EVs"
}