Following the Government’s decision last week to extend the 5p fuel duty cut until the end of this year, the BVRLA (British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association) has urged the Chancellor to apply the same logic to the proposed introduction of a pay-per-mile charge for electric vehicles from 2028.

BVRLA chief executive Toby Poston said: “Freezing fuel duty is the right call at a time when global tensions are already pushing up costs for households and businesses. Drivers and fleets need stability, not more financial pressure.
“The Government should take the same approach with electric vehicles. The new eVED road pricing charge on EVs risks slowing down the transition just as more drivers are more motivated to make the switch. This is the moment to back affordable zero-emission motoring, not to make it more expensive.”

The trade body has also coordinated an open letter to Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson MP, co-signed by organisations across the rental, leasing, fleet, remarking, finance, logistics, and mobility sectors. Signatories warn that the proposed eVED scheme could undermine EV adoption and place major operational and financial burdens on the businesses driving electrification.

Signatories support EV drivers paying a fair contribution towards road use, but warn that the current design risks adding hundreds of millions of pounds in compliance costs, while slowing the transition to zero-emission motoring. As such, they are calling on the Government to delay implementation until at least 2032.