Electric car owners will start paying road tax and the congestion charge exemption in London will be scrapped. These are just two major rule changes that UK car drivers need to be aware of in 2025.
So at DrivingExperience, we've compiled a helpful guide to five of the biggest measures coming into effect this year, so that motorists aren't caught off guard in the coming 12 months.
Dan Jones, operations manager at DrivingExperience.com, says: "With busy lives, it can be difficult to keep abreast of motoring rule changes, some of which will have a huge impact for millions of UK motorists in 2025."
Electric cars owners are in for a shock in April, as they will no longer be exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), otherwise known as road tax. They will need to pay a first-year rate of £10, while EVs worth over £40,000 will face the Expensive Car Supplement of £410.
However, there is welcome news for car drivers, as the government isn't pumping up the action on the forecourt; it will continue the freeze on fuel duty until March 2026.
In a bid to help save the planet, Benefit in Kind (BiK) tax rates will increase by 1% across all tax brackets from April. It is part of a move to marry tax structures with green aims.
A further jolt is in store for electric vehicle owners. From 25th December 2025, they, along with owners of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, will need to start paying the congestion charge in London - although in effect it will be 2nd January 2026 as there's no charge over that festive week.
The trial by 10 police forces of AI-powered cameras, which can spot drivers not wearing seatbelts or using their mobile phones, finishes in March 2025. The cameras could then be expanded nationwide after data from the trial is analysed - although nothing is confirmed for definite at this stage.
Dan adds: "Drivers needing time out from digesting all these motoring changes can forget their driving worries but still stay behind the wheel, although this time on a race circuit by enjoying one of our fantastic Driving Experiences."
"We don't impose any road tax, fuel hikes or congestion charges! It's fun all the way in one of our Supercar Driving Experiences or Racing Car Driving Experiences."
