‘Led up the garden path’

Motorist not only faces rising power prices but £355 a year extra in road tax

Noreen Owusuh, 44, who drives a Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric car, says she feels “led up the garden path” on the cost of owning an electric car, since one of the selling points was no road tax.

She is concerned that as

electricity prices are rising, she will also be hit by the tax from 2025.

She drives about 8,000 miles per year, meaning

the cost advantage of owning an electric car is smaller than that of a heavy driver, and the initial

outlay of about £46,000 places her in the bracket of paying £355 a year extra in road tax, since it is considered

“expensive” by the tax man. The initial high outlay of a batterypowered car is recouped for most drivers in a lower

cost per mile. She estimates she will pay more in tax on her green vehicle than a petrol Mini Countryman with a 2-litre engine.