The new Labour Government has been urged to assess the upcoming ban on new petrol and diesel cars, as well as plans for a new pay-per-mile tax on electric vehicles.
Experts have stated that Prime Minister Andy Burnham has a rare opportunity to review some of the most controversial transport policies announced in recent years.
Peter Golding, CEO of fleet software company FleetCheck, said the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate and the planned Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) should be among the first policies considered.
The ZEV mandate requires car manufacturers to increase the number of electric vehicles they sell, with at least 33 per cent of new sales needing to be electric this year before moving to 100 per cent by 2035.
Mr Golding said the Prime Minister had repeatedly promised to be “business friendly” and make life “easier and less financially stressful for ordinary people”.
He added: “Both the ZEV mandate and eVED would seem to us to fall into these categories. They are policies that are expensive and add complications for companies operating cars and vans, and for motorists, too.”
The Government’s planned eVED charge is due to begin on April 1, 2028, and will see electric cars pay 3p per mile, while hybrids will be charged 1.5p per mile.
The new Prime Minister has been urged to revisit the upcoming policy changes for drivers
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The charge will apply to battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.
The scheme is expected to affect around 5.6 million vehicles in the 2028-29 financial year, and will require drivers to pay the new charge when they first renew their Vehicle Excise Duty, after April 2028.
Mr Golding stated that the new Government should now open talks with the fleet industry about the future of the policies.
“While we understand that fleet is not at the top of the Government‘s agenda, it would be positive for the sector to be able to open discussions with the appropriate new ministers and their teams in a matter of weeks or months to express our concerns,“ he said.
Experts have estimated that roughly 5.6 million drivers will be impacted by new pay-per-mile taxes
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PAHe also criticised the previous Starmer Government, claiming it had sometimes focused too heavily on policies that made sense financially.
“One of the criticisms of the Starmer Government was that it too easily succumbed to what is sometimes called ‘Treasury brain’ – ideas that make financial sense for policy makers but not always for the people to whom they are applied,” Mr Golding said.
He suggested the new administration could take a different approach by listening more closely to businesses and the public.
The new tax changes will see EV drivers pay 3p per mile and 1.5p per mile for plug-in hybrids | PA
“There have been noises from within the Burnham camp that they’d like to listen more closely, and hopefully that approach will extend to policies that affect fleets,” he added.
Mr Golding said any delay to the new electric vehicle tax would be a win for the fleet sector.
The comments follow concerns from businesses and motorists who continue to transition away from petrol and diesel vehicles, despite high prices of electric cars, charging infrastructure and the impact of new taxes.