Surprise: UK EV Demand Drops On Reports Of Mile Driven Tax

The law of unintended consequences

Electric car demand sinks as drivers face pay-per-mile tax

Demand for electric cars has stalled as Rachel Reeves prepares to hit them with a new pay-per-mile tax.

Electric vehicle (EV) sales grew at their slowest rate in two years in November, at just 3.6pc, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Mike Hawes, the chief executive of the SMMT, tied the slowdown to the Budget and its long build-up.

He said: “Even in a fragile market, zero-emission vehicle uptake continues to rise, which is exactly what we need. But the weakest growth for almost two years – ahead of the Government announcing a new tax on EVs – should be seen as a wake-up call that a sustained increase in demand for EVs cannot be taken for granted.

Let’s not forget that the UK is basically forcing citizens to switch to EVs, all while the people doing the forcing are failing to switch to EVs themselves.

“We should be taking every opportunity to encourage drivers to make the switch, not punishing them for doing so, else the ambitions of Government and industry will be thwarted.”

By encourage, they mean force, and then they implement taxes which take away any money savings.

The number of EVs sold climbed to 39,965 in November. Fully electric cars made up 26.4pc of all new car sales in November, up from 25.1pc a year ago. The SMMT said the recently introduced electric car grants supported sales.

However, the proportion of EV sales still falls short of the 28pc annual target. Carmakers who fail to meet this level risk fines.

And that’s government forcing manufacturers to do things to make sure they sell enough EVs, regardless of what the citizens actually want.