Electric cars.

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Most of the affordable second hand cars are 50kWh batteries or less meaning my only real options below £20k are the Hyundai Kona and MG4. They both seem nice, but it's not exactly the breadth of choice I'd hoped for.
This car is a cat S but according to the owner, professionally repaired after he bought it. 78kWh and 22k miles for £18k

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Also in that price range are (in no particular order) Citreon e-C3 and e-C4, Corsa-e and Mokka-e, Kia Niro and Soul, Peugeot e208 and e2008, VW ID3 and ID4, Renault Megane E-Tech. All between ~44kWh and 64kWh.
 
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Mentioning Polestar 2, I see a bunch of 1 year old cars with only delivery mileage on them for £25-27k:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-se...lb&price-from=3000&sort=year-asc&year-to=2024
Yeah, I bought one earlier this year with less than 6k on it.

Great car, mine is the dual motor which has mad power. But still does considerable mileage on a single charge. Have got 350km out of it on mostly motorway with no sparing of the horses. Did 680km in one day a couple of months ago. Some public charging necessary obviously, but all done in dead time bar an 8 minute splash and dash for an added 20kWh.

Public charging is a bit cheaper in Ireland than the UK. AC charging as low as 33c and DC from about 48c. (28p and 40p).
 
The only thing that goes in my boot is shopping so it's never been something I base buying a car on.
 
@matt.

Did you pick up the car?
Picking up this Friday. It needed a little touch up on the rear bumper.
Last service was in August; the second after 2 years and 19,000 miles.
I have paid up front for x2 services and MOT's, so next August I'll pop it in for service and MOT.
Pictures to follow at the weekend..... athumb..
 
Yeah, I bought one earlier this year with less than 6k on it.

Great car, mine is the dual motor which has mad power. But still does considerable mileage on a single charge. Have got 350km out of it on mostly motorway with no sparing of the horses. Did 680km in one day a couple of months ago. Some public charging necessary obviously, but all done in dead time bar an 8 minute splash and dash for an added 20kWh.

Public charging is a bit cheaper in Ireland than the UK. AC charging as low as 33c and DC from about 48c. (28p and 40p).
sounds awesome sadly the expensive car tax system takes it out my budget and not sure i would want to take one at 5 years old to avoid it.

RWD or AWD is definitely an advantage on EVs
 
The expensive car supplement will only apply to new EV’s registered on or after 1st April 2025.
I thought i came in with changes to low emissions that are back dated to 2017?

Having looked again you are correct only applies from 1st April 2025, my mistake.

Still think its a short sighted tax grab tho
 
Mad that £40k is considered "expensive". Lots of bog standard cars in that range. Hyundai Tucson hybrid, Audi A3, Mini Countryman etc. Similar with EVs like the VW ID3 and ID4, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV3...

I know there are plenty of cars under that price range, including EVs, but still seems counter-productive to be including EVs in that category.
 
yep, welcome to the new world order of money grabbing to fill an ever increasing theoretical 'black hole' by the labour government.
if it moves, it'll get taxed. if it moves and is owned by someone other than a poor minimum wage worker, it'll get taxed more. Green and net zero? pah, not a chance. They dont care other than a brief press release to green-wash what they are doing over the next 25 years (which amounts to half of f'ckall and is non legally binding)

but not straying too politically - although its hard not to when EV uptake is entirely political - this policy just makes absolutely no sense. Societal change is ALWAYS driven by politics and increasing ownership costs of EVs so they are in line with ICE will just stop their uptake. Now as most EVs are company cars or lease, this will drive up the cost of the leases, as its my understanding any road tax is paid by the leaser, not the lease-ee.
 
yep, welcome to the new world order of money grabbing to fill an ever increasing theoretical 'black hole' by the labour government.
Please spare us the ignorant political rants on this thread. The new government haven't had a Budget yet, so they've not changed any taxes. The Expensive Car Supplement was introduced in 2017 under Teresa May, and its extension to electric vehicles was announced in November 2022 under Rishi Sunak.

And there is a genuine problem with the government finances thanks to the high inflation of recent years which has meant more income for the government (thanks to eg more VAT due to higher prices) but also more costs. The Tories effectively spent all the extra income on bribing voters with tax cuts, but didn't put anything in the planning budgets for higher costs. No doubt Labour will try some similar tricks, but this one was particularly blatant. It's just depressing for those of us who just want competent government, that the incentives in the system encourage outgoing governments to wreck budgets like this.

Inflation has had another side-effect, that the price of the average new car has apparently gone up from £35k in 2020 to £50k, but the Tories didn't inflation-adjust the threshold defining what an "expensive car" was.

but not straying too politically - although its hard not to when EV uptake is entirely political - this policy just makes absolutely no sense. Societal change is ALWAYS driven by politics and increasing ownership costs of EVs so they are in line with ICE will just stop their uptake. Now as most EVs are company cars or lease, this will drive up the cost of the leases, as its my understanding any road tax is paid by the leaser, not the lease-ee.
But it works out as just over a tenner a month, so isn't going to be that material for most people.
 
But it works out as just over a tenner a month, so isn't going to be that material for most people.
I would argue that despite its relatively small amount, it would be an important distinction between ICE and BEV vehicles that would add to other savings and incentives.

It's been the experience in other countries (particularly Norway) that a shopping basket of incentives has been effective in getting people to change. Italy pushed out some excellent incentives including ones aimed at lower income families which has seen a 6% increase in sales in the first half of this year.
 
Please spare us the ignorant political rants on this thread. The new government haven't had a Budget yet, so they've not changed any taxes. The Expensive Car Supplement was introduced in 2017 under Teresa May, and its extension to electric vehicles was announced in November 2022 under Rishi Sunak.

And there is a genuine problem with the government finances thanks to the high inflation of recent years which has meant more income for the government (thanks to eg more VAT due to higher prices) but also more costs. The Tories effectively spent all the extra income on bribing voters with tax cuts, but didn't put anything in the planning budgets for higher costs. No doubt Labour will try some similar tricks, but this one was particularly blatant. It's just depressing for those of us who just want competent government, that the incentives in the system encourage outgoing governments to wreck budgets like this.

Inflation has had another side-effect, that the price of the average new car has apparently gone up from £35k in 2020 to £50k, but the Tories didn't inflation-adjust the threshold defining what an "expensive car" was.


But it works out as just over a tenner a month, so isn't going to be that material for most people.
ok maths never was my strong point but £410 per year is not a tenner a month, time you pay normal ved that £600 a year (that before they hike the VED duty in he budget) so unless my maths is flawed that £50 extra a month for an EV owner if they exceed the £40k linit that is fxed and does not rise in line with inflation just like the 42% tax threshold in Scotland and now the UK as a whole total money grab!
 
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I would argue that despite its relatively small amount, it would be an important distinction between ICE and BEV vehicles that would add to other savings and incentives.

Why is going to be put off buying an EV because they have to pay this £10 a month if they are charging at home and rarely have to use a public charger they will be saving so much they wont even give it a thought.
 
ok maths never was my strong point but £410 per month is not a tenner a month, time you pay normal ved that £600 a year (that before they hike the VED duty in he budget) so unless my maths is flawed that £50 extra a month for an EV owner if they exceed the £40k linit that is fxed and does not rise in line with inflation just like the 42% tax threshold in Scotland and now the UK as a whole total money grab!

Its only cars over £40,000 classed as "expensive cars" that will have to pay the figures in your post for the rest its £10 for the first year then £190 from then on and zero emission cars first registered between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2025 will also pay the standard rate (£190)


The 2025 EV road tax changes are as follows:

  • New zero-emission cars registered on or after 1 April 2025 will be liable to pay the lowest first-year rate of VED (which applies to vehicles with CO2 emissions 1 to 50g/km) currently £10 a year.
  • From the second year of registration onwards, they will move to the standard rate, currently £190 a year
  • Zero emission cars first registered between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2025 will also pay the standard rate
  • The Expensive Car Supplement exemption for electric vehicles is due to end in 2025. New zero emission cars registered on or after 1 April 2025 will therefore be liable for the Expensive Car Supplement. The Expensive Car Supplement currently applies to cars with a list price exceeding £40,000 for five years and is currently £410 a year. This means EV drivers with an 'expensive car' will pay up to £600 a year for road tax
  • Zero and low emission cars first registered between 1 March 2001 and 30 March 2017 currently in Band A will move to the Band B rate, currently £20 a year
  • Zero-emission vans will move to the rate for petrol and diesel light goods vehicles, currently £335 a year for most vans
  • Zero-emission motorcycles and tricycles will move to the rate for the smallest engine size, currently £25 a year
  • Rates for Alternative Fuel Vehicles and hybrids will also be equalised
 
Why is going to be put off buying an EV because they have to pay this £10 a month if they are charging at home and rarely have to use a public charger they will be saving so much they wont even give it a thought.
Not what I said. I said it could be an important distinction to add to other benefits and exemptions. So a possible attraction. Also it's over £34 a month (£410/yr).
Its only the expensive cars that will cost that when they remove the supplement -
I think I posted earlier that £40k wouldn't be expensive by today's standards. Fairly standard cars come in at or above that price. And it's never been updated to take account of inflation. It's 7 years old now.

Edit: 5% inflation a year would bring a £30k car in 2017 to over £40k now.
 
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