More than 30 States have introduced surcharges for hybrid and EV vehicles.
Fees range from about $50 to over $250 depending on class, weight, and type.
The price of a litre or a gallon of gasoline includes a number of taxes. Many of these sums are collected to maintain and finance roadway infrastructures in Provinces and States, are, therefore “necessary”, and everyone who uses the road should pay their fair share. This is the explanation given to electrified vehicle owners as many are now faced with surcharges.
2023 BMW i7 | Photo: BMW
So far, more than 30 US states have introduced these taxes and, understandably, they are not sitting well with owners. The latter, who’ve typically purchased hybrids and EVs to reduce both their environmental footprint and running costs are now facing increases in their vehicle registration fees that range from about $50 to over $250.
Based on the WKBW news story, hybrids are taxed at a lower rate as they still require petrol to run. Electric vehicles, on the other hand, which do without gasoline, face heftier fees.
The source story notes that Consumer Reports believes that these “fees are more than what the average driver of a gas car pays in gasoline taxes and worries the new fees will discourage people from buying fuel-saving cars.”
In our opinion, these extra fees and taxes will only continue to increase as EVs slowly, but surely, take over from ICE vehicles over the next decade – they will become the norm.
