PTRC Fireside Chat: Will paying for road use prove electrifying?

Just as we’re on our merry way up the s-curve of the diffusion of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) into the nation’s car fleet, along comes an Autumn Budget that announces plans to introduce per mile road pricing for these vehicles from 2028. Whatever next!

As of October, BEVs have accounted for 22% of new car registrations in the UK in 2025. However, cars last a long time and while there are now over 1.7M ‘greenies’ on our roads, they amount to only about 5% of the total car fleet. There are now over 85,000 public EV charging points in the UK. The transition is happening. In April 2025 (reversing a change from the previous administration) the Government confirmed that from 2030, pure diesel or petrol-powered new cars will no longer be permitted for sale in the UK – that means going from 47% of new cars sold being pure petrol-powered in 2025 so far, to zero. Sale of new hybrid EVs will be permitted until 2035.

Transitions like this tend to start slowly and then accelerate, so it seems possible this dramatic shift in the next few years is achievable. However, this relies on the ongoing scaling-up of charging infrastructure, supply availability of new low and zero emission vehicles, and demand from consumers. To spice things up, why not add into the mix, on top of the recently added annual car tax for EVs (Vehicle Excise Duty – VED), charging 3p per mile for EV use on our roads (eVED)?

Understandably, media pieces are already poring over the details and implications. How will it affect public opinion and behaviours? Currently, those who have EV chargers at home enjoy much cheaper overnight charging of their vehicles compared to those who are dependent upon using public chargers. Is this fair? What could change in future? How clear is it currently for motorists whether buying an EV is a good bet for them compared to the current option of sticking with petrol or diesel cars? The pay per mile charge is expected to rise with inflation. Meanwhile owners of petrol and diesel vehicles continue to benefit from the longstanding freeze on fuel duty – though this is set to change next year. How will the new pay per mile scheme be introduced? What if the already launched consultation on the proposals throws up a host of other issues? Will this really survive through to implementation in a turbulent political climate with the clock ticking towards the next General Election?

For many transport professionals it seemed as though national road pricing would never arrive, having been debated and periodically toyed with for decades – forever thwarted by devil in the detail and its capacity to act as a lightening rod for public disaffection. And yet here we are – it has arrived…. perhaps. As the saying goes, don’t count your chickens before the eggs have hatched.

This Fireside Chat is a chance to get stuck back into transport matters after the Christmas holidays – please consider booking yourself a free place. Chaired by Professor Glenn Lyons, our panel will explore the following questions:

1. Are EVs now motoring inexorably up the s-curve of adoption in line with timelines set?

2. Is pay-per-mile road pricing (eVED) for EVs now inevitable or could there be roadblocks ahead?

3. Is eVED really going to put any serious dampener on consumer appetite for EVs?

4. What impact could eVED have on matters of fairness when it comes to paying for road use?

5. Could eVED open the door to future more sophisticated road pricing to manage demand?

Glenn remarks: “It’s still a long way to 2028 and we’re in a topsy-turvy world – but surely this is a small dose of good news for sustainable transport that the public will recognise makes sense?”