- Dover District residents will see EV permit costs soar 162% from 13 January
A council in Kent will start charging electric vehicle owners more than double their previous on-street parking permit fees from next week.
Labour-run Dover District Council made the controversial decision to hike EV permits, while at the same time slashing the cost of petrol car parking permits.
The move has been branded ‘bizarre’ by green campaigners and council members.
But the council has backed its decision, stating that cheap EV parking permit incentives have failed to increase electric car uptake in the area.
The shock change follows Dover District Council’s vote to implement a flat rate charge for on-street permits from 13 January.
The flat rate permit cost will be £105 and will cover most zones.
Labour-run Dover District Council has decided to hike EV permits, while at the same time slashing the cost of petrol car permits, leaving EV owners paying 162% more this year
An owner of an EV such as a Tesla Model Y or a Nissan Leaf will pay 162 per cent more come 13 January, with their annual permit cost rising from £40 to £105.
Petrol and diesel car owners on the other hand will see their permit costs fall from £120 to £105.
In 2021 DCC launched its emissions-tiered parking permit trial but the incentive-based initiative failed to provide much of an uptake in EVs.
An official report from the council says it hoped the trial would ‘incentivise the use of low emission vehicles as part of the Climate Change Agenda’, but since just 20 permits for fully-electric cars and 14 for hybrid cars have been issued, ‘it therefore appears that the differential charging has not had a significant impact on decision-making for vehicle purchases.’
The council paper states: ‘Following the trial period for emissions-based permits it is now considered that differential charging for resident permit holders alone is insufficient to influence the public’s decision-making on vehicle purchasing.’
However, green councillors have opposed the move branding it ‘silly’ and ‘strange’.
EV owners wills see their annual permit cost skyrocketing from £40 to £105. Petrol and diesel car owners on the other hand will see their permit costs fall from £120 to £105
The decision follows a trial period (since 2021) in which EV ownership was incentivised through low permit costs. The council said the trial failed to herald results or increase uptake
Cllr Nick Shread, a Green member for Dover Town Council, told Kent Online: ‘It is rather strange and shows a lack of foresight.
‘But it is in line with government changes where electric vehicles are no longer exempt from tax, which we don’t agree with.’
Another Councillor Mike Eddy, a Green Party member for Deal and Walmer Town Councils, commented: ‘It’s a bizarre decision and one which will make absolute peanuts for the council.
‘If you’re trying to encourage people to use cars which pollute the least, then increasing the charges is silly.’
People also took to social media to vent their fury with one user posting: ‘Another tax on the people who can probably least afford it. Street parking tax is literal highway robbery.’
Changes to Dover District’s parking permits will see 185 residents having to pay the higher amount for EV permits, and 896 fuel car drivers pay less
The council’s changes will mean higher charges for 185 residents, while 896 will pay less and 980 will see inflation-adjusted fees remain the same.
Second permit holders will also face changes, with the current tiered system beign replaced with a new flat rate of £130.
Currently pricing varies from £65 to £145 for a second on-street parking permit per household.
The council has confirmed that 2025/26 year will see no further increase in parking permit costs.
