Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Vehicle Excise Duty rates on the uptake of electric vehicles.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Revenue from motoring taxes helps to fund vital public services and infrastructure, including investment in roads and transport. The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy, including considering the impact on households and businesses. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.
At Budget 2025, the Government made a number of announcements relating to motoring tax. This included announcing continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut until the end of August 2026. Rates will then gradually return to early 2022 levels. The planned increase in line with inflation for 2026-27 will not take place, with the Government uprating fuel duty rates by RPI from April 2027. This will save the average car driver £49 next year compared to previous plans.
The Government also announced the introduction of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty.
The Government is taking a proportionate approach to ensuring electric car drivers pay an appropriate share whilst remaining firmly committed to supporting the transition to EVs. That is why the rate will be set at 50% of the equivalent fuel duty cost for petrol and diesel cars, and 80% of eVED revenue from the first three years is being reinvested to extend support for EVs and the auto manufacturing industry. This builds on existing generous support, including Company Car Tax incentives.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the structure of Vehicle Excise Duty.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), sometimes known as 'road tax' or 'car tax', is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. Different rates apply to cars, vans, and motorcycles, and the rate for each vehicle is calculated according to a range of factors, such as its date of first registration, weight, or CO2 emissions. The government has no current plans to review this structure.
At Autumn Budget 2025, the government announced the introduction of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED), a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, which will come into effect from April 2028. Drivers will pay for their mileage alongside their existing Vehicle Excise Duty (VED).
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many fires involving electric vehicles have been recorded by fire and rescue services in England in the last five years; and whether the Government has received assessments on the impact and risk of such fires from fire and rescue services.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England, including fires involving road vehicles. This data is published in the Department’s fire statistics releases. However, the data currently collected by Fire and Rescue Services does not identify whether a vehicle involved in a fire was an electric vehicle. The Department is therefore not able to provide data for the number of fires involving electric vehicles in England over the last five years.
Our new Fire and Rescue Data Analysis Platform (FaRDAP) is being rolled out and work is ongoing to update the data it will collect covering both the questions and answer categories to capture lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles (including personal light electric vehicles such as e-scooters and e-bikes), and more.
In addition, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) publishes data using information available from Fire and Rescue Services on fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters. Updated data now including figures for 2017-2024 was published in June 2025 and can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, under the proposed pay-per-mile road charging scheme, whether mileage accrued by UK-registered vehicles while driving in the Republic of Ireland would be subject to UK charges; and whether mileage accrued by Republic of Ireland-registered vehicles while driving in Northern Ireland would be subject to any equivalent charge.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs (electric vehicles) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. As with VED, eVED will apply to UK-registered vehicles; non-UK registered vehicles will be required to register for eVED after a period of six months in the UK.
The Government has ruled out charging tax based on when or where people drive to protect motorists’ privacy. This means non-UK mileage driven by UK registered cars will fall into scope of eVED, as with fuel duty, which does not vary by basis of where a car is driven.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for taking legislative steps to develop a regulatory framework for low and zero emission vehicles, following the commitment in the Road Safety Strategy.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As stated in the Road Safety Strategy, the Government has made a commitment to pursue legislative reform for micromobility vehicles when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the risks associated with hybrid vehicle battery fires following road traffic collisions; and whether she plans to commission guidance for manufacturers and emergency services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The safety of hybrid-electric vehicles is of paramount importance to the Government and is kept under regular review. Insurance industry analysis suggests that hybrid vehicles are less likely to catch fire than internal combustion engine vehicles. Nevertheless, existing regulations covering vehicle construction include requirements to safeguard against the novel risks and potential concerns associated with hybrid-electric vehicles, including fire.
In addition to the Department for Transport’s published guidance for road recovery operators, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the National Fire Chiefs Council have produced guidance for their staff on dealing with hybrid and electric vehicles.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the total capital and operational cost of transitioning its vehicle fleet to 100% Zero Tailpipe Emissions by 31 December 2027; and what assessment has been made of the difference in cost compared with retaining and maintaining a petrol and diesel fleet over the same timeframe.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The estimated cost to transition 309 vans from diesel to electric to achieve 100% Zero Tailpipe Emissions (under 3.5 tonnes) by 31 December 2027 is £10.1 million compared with a diesel equivalent of £12.2 million. These costs are based on “whole life costs” of five years and include electric maintenance costs forecast at 60% less than comparable diesel.
Defra also operates a fleet of 4x4s (1,132 vehicles). The department applied to the Department for Transport for an exemption from the requirements of the Government Fleet Commitment, with the productive engagement with Office for Zero Emission Vehicles. This was granted on 28 May 2025.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to provide support to public sector workers to access electric vehicles.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is for individual public sector employers to manage compensation and benefits for employees. The Government is supporting the uptake of electric vehicles through schemes such as salary sacrifice, and the £2 billion Electric Car Grant, which has supported over 50,000 drivers to choose an electric vehicle since July 2025.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 87556 on Academies: Electric Vehicles, if the findings of the cross-government review on public sector salary sacrifice schemes will be made publicly available.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Salary sacrifice rules governing the public sector are set out in section 1.5 of the Public sector pay and terms: guidance note: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d3596bded915d0d0f8d5565/190702_Public_sector_pay_and_terms.pdf
Asked by: Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2025 to Question 94407 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, for what policy reason cross-pavement solutions were selected.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Government supports the roll-out of cross-pavement solutions to ensure more drivers without off-street parking can benefit from cheaper and more convenient domestic electric vehicle charging, which concurrently reduces the risk of trailing cables on the public highway.