EV Discussion thread

Exiled_Tyke

michaels said:

There is some sort of budget change in VED rates but possibly sounds like VED still coming to EVs but combustion cars will see an increases so EVs are cheaper?

That's how I 'read' it.   The fact is they need more VED and fuel duty but also need to push EVs so yep. And with freezing fuel duty it looks like we'll all pay more VED but EV's will get the least of the punishment. 

MeteredOut

Exiled_Tyke said:

michaels said:

There is some sort of budget change in VED rates but possibly sounds like VED still coming to EVs but combustion cars will see an increases so EVs are cheaper?

That's how I 'read' it.   The fact is they need more VED and fuel duty but also need to push EVs so yep. And with freezing fuel duty it looks like we'll all pay more VED but EV's will get the least of the punishment. 

It makes sense that, whilst EV owners still need to contribute, the legacy cars that pollute our air should pay more.

michaels

So it looks like year 1 only, EVs will be £10 (up from £0), hybrids including plug in wile be 50 and all other petrol/diesel will double to a very meaty £5.4k for the most polluting.

All other years go up by inflation so EVs will go from zero to about 195 whereas some older petrol and diesel will still be £30 - go figure....

JKenH

That is really going to hurt new ICE sales. Some clarification from Fleet News of the changes to BIK rules which will hit PHEVs hard.

Budget: Fuel duty frozen and hybrids hit by new BIK tax rates

The appropriate percentage used to calculate an individual’s company car tax for zero-emission vehicles will increase for 2028/29 and 2029/30 by two percentage points per year taking them to 7% and 9% respectively.

However, in a move which will significantly impact drivers of plug-in hybrid company cars, the appropriate percentage rates for vehicles which produce 1g to 50g CO2 per kilometre and are also capable of operating on electric power within a certain range will be amended. 

Vehicles with CO2 emissions of 1g to 50g per kilometre will have appropriate percentages of 18% in 2028/29 and 19% 2029/30.

Delivering her first Budget, Rachel Reeves also says she will increase the differential between fully electric and other vehicles in the first rates of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) beginning in April 2025.

From April 1 2025, the Government will freeze the lowest First Year Rate (FYR) paid by zero-emission cars until 2029/30, and increase FYRs for all other emission bands in 2025/26.

Budget: Fuel duty frozen and hybrids hit by new BIK tax rates

JKenH

michaels said:

So it looks like year 1 only, EVs will be £10 (up from £0), hybrids including plug in wile be 50 and all other petrol/diesel will double to a very meaty £5.4k for the most polluting.

All other years go up by inflation so EVs will go from zero to about 195 whereas some older petrol and diesel will still be £30 - go figure....

According to this article that figure of £5.4K is only going to hit top end models. Apparently EVs are going to be spared the expensive car supplement.

A Treasury spokesperson explained that means, from April next year, a new Ford Puma driver can expect a first year VED rate to rise from £220 to £440, while a Range Rover buyer will pay as much as £5,490 – up from £2,745 – for their first year.

The Expensive Car Supplement, which sees buyers of new cars costing more than £40,000 pay an additional £410 a year for the first five years, will not be extended to electric cars either.

However, the government said it may consider implementing this rate for EVs at a future ‘fiscal event’.

https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/budget-first-year-tax-rates-for-petrol-diesel-and-hybrids-will-double-but-ev-rates-to-remain-the-same/309430

michaels

JKenH said:

That is really going to hurt new ICE sales. Some clarification from Fleet News of the changes to BIK rules which will hit PHEVs hard.

Budget: Fuel duty frozen and hybrids hit by new BIK tax rates

The appropriate percentage used to calculate an individual’s company car tax for zero-emission vehicles will increase for 2028/29 and 2029/30 by two percentage points per year taking them to 7% and 9% respectively.

However, in a move which will significantly impact drivers of plug-in hybrid company cars, the appropriate percentage rates for vehicles which produce 1g to 50g CO2 per kilometre and are also capable of operating on electric power within a certain range will be amended. 

Vehicles with CO2 emissions of 1g to 50g per kilometre will have appropriate percentages of 18% in 2028/29 and 19% 2029/30.

Delivering her first Budget, Rachel Reeves also says she will increase the differential between fully electric and other vehicles in the first rates of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) beginning in April 2025.

From April 1 2025, the Government will freeze the lowest First Year Rate (FYR) paid by zero-emission cars until 2029/30, and increase FYRs for all other emission bands in 2025/26.

Budget: Fuel duty frozen and hybrids hit by new BIK tax rates

So I think recently some makers of big SUVs (Jaguar Land rover for example) have benefitted as despite not really selling any EVs they have managed to sell a lot of gas guzzlers by adding a PHEV battery (whether it is ever plugged in or not) because the BIK goes from painful to very low - and at the same time they also count towards the 20% BEV rule or you pay penalties target, so double win for what almost certainly end up just being highly polluting SUVs barely run on electricity.

Grumpy_chap

So, one of my friends is interested in a Tesla so I shared them the referral code.  The referral amount seems quite generous at the moment (£500).  
Does anyone know how the referrals actually work? 
When I purchased my TM3, the referral code was refused on the basis of discounts levels already applied.  At the time, it was only £50, so I was not unduly fussed and figured if the Tesla Representative was quibbling over such a small amount that indicated I'd got to as good as it would get.
For a larger referral code value, that is worth a bit more of a discussion to secure.

Grumpy_chap

My friend ordered their TMY with the referral code working and the app shows I have the reward pending.  Tesla no longer include a "granny charger", which is £180 so I'm thinking of using my app credit to get them a charger.  IMO, it is outrageous that a new EV is not provided with any means to plug in 

Martyn1981

Sorry if too late, but is it worth them waiting for the Juniper upgrade to the TMY, due soon(ish), but dates being kept quiet. Could be as soon as start of 2025. This is the big upgrade, equivalent to the Highland upgrade on the TM3.

Grumpy_chap

Martyn1981 said:

Sorry if too late, but is it worth them waiting for the Juniper upgrade to the TMY, due soon(ish), but dates being kept quiet. Could be as soon as start of 2025. This is the big upgrade, equivalent to the Highland upgrade on the TM3.

Thanks Martyn,
They were aware and considered waiting (and also would have got a 7-seat) but the information was that none will be available until after the VED increases are in force so that would be a large cost increase.
Plus, the turbo has gone on their aged ICE and the interest-free finance offered right now is attractive to them.
They could not get the colour of choice, but did get a tow hitch (which is important for them)and gained a discount of £3.8k (plus the referral saving) against the same car listed on the website (inventory stock) so that seemed a good deal to go now.
They did look at the TM3 to compare how that was different being the Highland model and decided the change was not all that great.
Added to which, Tesla discounts seem to only be in the end of the quarter, so it would mean waiting until March if there are even any discounts on the Juniper when it first launches.
They had considered used models as well, but they became more expensive once the finance costs were considered.  The Model Y's seem better priced than Model 3 right at the moment.

At one stage, they nearly walked away as they found exactly the same as I found when first test driving about the regenerative braking being really rather odd.  I explained how that works in real life and you get used to it quickly.

As an aside, you say the Highland is a big upgrade.  Is it really?  A colleague has a Highland TM3 and it seems hardly any different in all honestly.  A slightly better range.  Slight body changes.  Screen in the back seat.  A change to the indicator stick being omitted (which is something he finds hard when turning and needing to indicate - for example roundabout exit).  Is there much more to the change?