Live Blog | Fact Checker | Support Us
Sign In | Join Free |
UK FACT CHECK POLITICS

UK FACT CHECK POLITICS
Independent reporting, transparently verified by objective AI fact-checking
Menu
Categories
Latest
Support Us
About
Get Involved
Account
Follow Us
google.com 09 March 2026 at 20:10

Rachel Reeves confirms new £150 charge for drivers doing at least 5,000 miles a year

View original article →
78
Trust Score

Mostly Accurate (with minor issues and some unverified attributions)

Confidence: High

Standard
Emotional Tone Low
How emotionally charged the language is (low is neutral)
Reading Level Academic
Suitable for age 24+ readers (grade 19)
Article Length Long
1,068 words
Caps & Emphasis Normal
1.8% of words are capitalised (high can indicate sensationalism)

Executive Summary

The core policy described in the article—a new mileage-based charge on battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars, set at 3p per mile for EVs and 1.5p per mile for PHEVs, introduced from 1 April 2028 as an add-on to existing Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) and intended to replace declining fuel duty revenues—is supported by UK Government primary documentation and credible professional summaries. However, some presentation elements (notably the headline framing that it is a “new £150 charge for drivers doing at least 5,000 miles a year” and the claim that Reeves “confirmed” specific per-mile details in the manner implied) are not fully evidenced from the provided text alone; the policy exists, but the article’s framing is somewhat sensational and imprecise. A few statements (e.g., “forced to pay vehicle tax for the first time last year”) depend on exact commencement dates and remain unverified within the article text as reproduced, though they align broadly with government statements that EVs have been subject to VED since April 2025.

Factual Verification

Verified Claims

  • The UK Government announced and consulted on an “electric vehicle excise duty (eVED)” which is a mileage-based tax on battery electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) cars. (Primary: GOV.UK consultation)
  • eVED is planned to be introduced from 1 April 2028 and administered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). (Primary: GOV.UK consultation)
  • The proposed eVED rate is 3 pence per mile for fully electric cars. (Primary: GOV.UK consultation)
  • The proposed eVED rate is 1.5 pence per mile for plug-in hybrid cars. (Secondary corroboration: ATT technical note; also consistent with government consultation context)
  • eVED is designed as an additional mileage-based add-on payable alongside existing VED for EVs and PHEVs. (Primary: GOV.UK consultation)
  • The consultation states that an EV driver accruing 8,000 miles per year would pay around £240 annually in eVED (about £20 per month). (Primary: GOV.UK consultation)
  • Government costing documents for Budget 2025 describe eVED as a new mileage supplement for electric and plug-in hybrid cars from April 2028 and use an average of 8,000 miles annually in modelling. (Primary: Budget 2025 policy costings PDF)

Unverified Claims

  • “Rachel Reeves confirms new £150 charge for drivers doing at least 5,000 miles a year” (as a specific announced ‘£150 charge’ threshold) — the £150 figure is arithmetically consistent with 3p/mile × 5,000 miles, but the existence of a policy ‘threshold’ at 5,000 miles or an explicit ‘£150 charge’ framing is not evidenced by the primary sources reviewed; it appears to be the outlet’s illustrative calculation.
  • “Most drivers in the UK cover a larger distance than [5,000 miles] over a 12-month period” — plausible, and government documents cite an “average” mileage figure used for modelling, but the article’s “most drivers” assertion is not directly sourced in the text provided and I did not verify a current distributional statistic during targeted research.
  • “It’s another blow for owners of EVs, coming after they were forced to pay vehicle tax for the first time last year” — primary sources confirm EVs and PHEVs have been subject to VED since April 2025, but whether that was ‘last year’ depends on the reference point and the precise implementation details; the article’s phrasing is evaluative and not directly substantiated within the primary documents accessed.
  • Attribution: “Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson explained: ‘At Autumn Budget 2025, the Government announced…’” — I did not verify this specific quotation against a primary transcript or ministerial statement; only the underlying policy content is verified via primary sources.

Bias & Presentation

Detected Biases:

  • Sensational framing / click-driven headline construction (emphasising a ‘new £150 charge’ and a low-mileage anchor point rather than the general per-mile rate and start date).
  • Negative valence framing (“another blow”, “punish”) that may steer reader interpretation without adding factual support.
  • Potential ambiguity between a worked example and an actual eligibility threshold (the 5,000-mile/£150 phrasing can read like a policy trigger).

Language Patterns

Emotional manipulation: 0.28

Confidence

Level: High

High confidence in adjudicating the core policy claims because they are directly supported by UK Government primary documentation (GOV.UK consultation and Budget 2025 policy costings PDF). Lower confidence on the headline-style ‘£150 charge for drivers doing at least 5,000 miles’ framing and the specific ministerial quotation attribution, which were not confirmed against a primary transcript in this research pass; these are therefore marked Unverified rather than disputed/false.

Search Journal

Query: Birmingham Live "Rachel Reeves confirms new £150 charge" 3p per mile 5000 miles a year

Located primary GOV.UK consultation describing eVED, scope, rates, and timeline.

Query: "electric vehicle excise duty" eVED mileage charge April 2028 Autumn Budget 2025 Dan Tomlinson

Opened Budget 2025 policy costings PDF confirming measure description and modelling assumptions (average mileage).

Query: UK government consultation "electric vehicle excise duty" mileage charge

Used reputable professional secondary source for corroboration of rates and consultation context.

Article Content

Rachel Reeves confirms new £150 charge for drivers doing at least 5,000 miles a year - Birmingham Live ===============

4

138437485146

[Skip to main content](

[]( "Go to the Birmingham Live homepage") * [News]( * [What's On]( * [Black Country]( * [Villa]( * More

* []( "Follow on Facebook") * []( "Follow on X") * []( "Follow on Instagram")

[Buy a Paper](

[Funeral Notices](

[Jobs](

[Advertise with Us](

[Directory](

[Newsletter signup](

[Book an Ad](

[Public Notices](

[Buy a photo](

* []( * [Motoring]( * [Motoring News]( * [Motoring](

Rachel Reeves confirms new £150 charge for drivers doing at least 5,000 miles a year ====================================================================================

New pay-per-mile tax will target certain drivers

* []( "Share on Facebook") * []( "Share on X") * []( "Share on WhatsApp")

[]( "copy link")

[Comments 2]( "Comment on this article")

[Motoring](

[**Richard Guttridge**]( Agenda Editor

07:36, 07 Mar 2026

View Image

Rachel Reeves has announced details of the new tax.(Image: inyourArea)

A new tax will target owners of certain cars based on how far they travel.

Article continues below

138437485146

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed the creation of a new pay-per-mile tax.

Article continues below

Owners of specific models will be charged at a rate of 3p per mile.

Article continues below

**READ MORE:****[Cameras fining drivers over new rule 'hardly anyone' understands](

**Get the latest court and crime news direct via our WhatsApp community [here](

So someone doing 5,000 miles in a year would have to fork out £150, and that figure will keep rising the more further people drive.

From roads and schools to planning; get the top political stories of the week and more

Subscribe

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. [More info](

Most drivers in the UK cover a larger distance than this over a 12-month period - so will have to pay more.

The pay-per-mile tax will apply to owners of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids.

EVs will be charged at the 3p per mile rate, while it will be 1.5p for hybrids.

Article continues below

138205439166

The Government is launching the new tax, to be officially known as electric vehicle excise duty (eVED) and come into force in April 2028, to make up for fuel duty losses over recent years as more motorists have switched to electric.

Ministers say the overhaul will ensure a fairer system to which everyone contributes to.

[**Get all the latest motoring news sent to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter here**](

Article continues below

The average driver covers 8,000 miles a year, which equates to £255.

It's another blow for owners of EVs, coming after they were forced to pay vehicle tax for the first time last year.

They previously didn't have to pay this charge.

Article continues below

Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson explained: "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)."

A consultation document states: "It will be set at half of the equivalent rate of fuel duty for electric cars, and half again for plug-in hybrid cars.

Article continues below

"eVED will ensure all car drivers contribute, but will still maintain important incentives to switch to an electric vehicle."

[ENJOYED THIS STORY? Choose Birmingham Live as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.]( Birmingham Live:

* [Facebook]( "Follow on Facebook") * [X (Twitter)]( "Follow on X") * [Instagram]( "Follow on Instagram")

[Comments 2]( "Comment on this article")

* * *

138437485146

RECOMMENDED

[New council spy car takes to Birmingham streets - and it has caught hundreds already](

[DWP confirms bumper £468 Universal Credit payments from April](

[DWP says no more payments beyond March in Universal Credit shake-up](

[DWP confirms changes to how long claimants will keep PIP from April](

138437485146

[Inside Maxine Carr's secret wedding with £2m new identity](

[DWP confirms £150 bonus payments for households claiming these benefits](

[Rachel Reeves to 'punish' state pensioners with modest private pension pots](

[Blue badge holders 'making same mistake' over little-known rule and risk fines](

138547426485

[Rachel Reeves confirms £17-a-month cut to payments for certain state pensioners](

[Man arrested after girl's trousers pulled down as she walked to school](

[Free BBC TV licence for all state pensioners call - not just Pension Credit](

[Ian Huntley family 'row' over funeral plan as £3,000 cost could fall on taxpayer](

138205441690

[Rachel Reeves update for 600,000 state pensioners paying tax in 2026](

[State pensioners over age 80 could get bumper £443 a month from April](

[Ian Huntley's grim funeral plans after evil killer's death](

[Octopus Energy issues 'impossible' warning which could cost customers £200](

[Foreign Office lifts warning - but still says UK tourists shouldn't travel](

92690549537

[Rachel Reeves confirms major pension change from April](

[Red Dwarf legend dies as Craig Charles pays tribute to 'one of the funniest people'](

[Michelin-starred Birmingham restaurant bans these people from entering](

[Terrifying map shows every country Iran's missiles could hit](

[Former Prime Minister rushed to hospital after 'suicide attempt' following link to Epstein](

138205442509

* [Motoring]( * [Rachel Reeves]( * [Labour Party](

* [News]( * [What's On]( * [Sport]( * [Travel]( * [Cost of Living]( * [Money]( * [Motors]( * [Shopping](

Follow Birmingham Live on socials:

* []( "Follow on Facebook") * []( "Follow on X") * []( "Follow on Instagram")

[](

* [InYourArea]( * [mynewsassistant]( * [Beauty Box Subscription]( * [Yimbly Shop]( * [Marketplace]( * [Public Notices]( * [Contact Us]( * [About Us]( * [Work for us]( * [Advertise with Us]( * [Mirror Bingo]( * [Buy a photo]( * [How to Complain]( * [Corrections and Clarifications]( * [Feedback]( * [Terms and Conditions]( * [Privacy Notice]( * [AI Notice]( * [Cookie Notice]( * [Sell Your Story]( * [Bands Directory]( * [Newsletters Signup]( * [Syndication & Licensing]( * [Notifications and Alerts help]( * [Do not sell or share my data](

© 2026 a Reach plc subsidiary

[### BREAKING NEWS Akhmed Yakoob quizzed by police after Israeli flag set alight during Iran demo ](

At [Reach and across our entities]( we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of [cookies]( and consent to the practices described in our[Privacy Notice]( and [Terms and Conditions](

Accept

×

Share this fact check

← Check another article or image