Autumn Budget: Pay-per-mile tax ‘completely wrong move’ Transport and infrastructure Chancellor Rachel Reeves has hit electric vehicles with a pay-per-mile tax which will cost the average driver £255 per year and raise £1.1bn for the Treasury. Reeves delivered the expected 3p pay-per-mile tax for electric vehicles (EVs) at today’s Budget, which she framed as a fairness measure to balance the costs facing drivers. The OBR, the independent fiscal [...]
Labour to spend £10m on tackling EV charging blackspots Transport and infrastructure The government has unveiled a £10m fund to help expand England’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network, targeting grid-constrained sites on motorways and major A-roads where power access has slowed progress. The funding will support projects that allow chargers to run off-grid or with minimal grid connection, using renewable energy and battery storage to deliver ultra-rapid [...]
LEVC: London electric taxi company loses £180m Transport and infrastructure LEVC, the London electric taxi company, lost almost £180m during its latest financial year as its sales were slashed. The Coventry-headquartered electric taxi maker, which is also known as London EV Company, has reported a pre-tax loss of £179.4m, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The business, which is owned by Chinese automotive [...]
Tesla: UK sales slump by £500m as profit slashed September 26, 2025 Sales at the UK arm of Elon Musk’s Tesla slumped by more than £500m as its profit was also slashed during its latest financial year. The division, which is headquartered in Manchester, has reported a revenue of £1.94bn for 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The new figure comes after Tesla posted a [...]
Ed Miliband’s pay now buy later climate policy September 17, 2025 Behavioural economics teaches us that consumers weigh benefits received and costs incurred in the present much more heavily than if they’re in the distant future. That’s a problem for net zero policy makers like Ed Miliband, says Paul Ormerod The headlines are full of bad news for Kier Starmer. But an important story last week [...]
Toyota’s UK profit almost wiped out amid ZEV mandate battle September 12, 2025 Toyota’s UK profit has almost been wiped out as the carmaker battled a decline in market share and compliance with the ZEV [Zero Emission Vehicle] mandate. The Surrey-headquartered division has posted a pre-tax profit of £462,000 for the 12 months to 31 March, 2025, down from the £11.5m it achieved in the prior year. New [...]
Auto Trader: Brits turn to older cars amid ‘economic uncertainty’ July 29, 2025 Brits are turning their backs on new cars choosing to buy more older models amid “ongoing economic uncertainty”, according to FTSE 100 giant Auto Trader. The Manchester-headquartered company said a “standout trend” of 2025 so far is the “growing appetite for affordable used cars”, particularly those aged between five and 10 years old. Auto Trader has [...]
Sir Richard Branson-backed Gridserve cuts jobs as it loses over £80m July 21, 2025 Gridserve, the electric vehicle (EV) charging network whose investors include a fund backed by Sir Richard Branson, cut jobs as it lost more than £80m in 2024, it has been revealed. The Swindon-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax loss of £82.7m for its latest financial year, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. Gridserve [...]
Arnold Clark counts the cost of Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes July 1, 2025 Car dealership giant Arnold Clark has revealed the tax hikes announced by Rachel Reeves in her first Budget as Chancellor will cost it an extra £30m a year. The Glasgow-headquartered group said the increase in employer’s National Insurance contributions and the rise in the National Minimum Wage will mainly be responsible for the rise. Arnold [...]
Just how much trouble is Elon Musk causing Tesla? June 17, 2025 Tesla’s enigmatic chief executive, Elon Musk, gets a lot of flak, but if there’s one area you would think he’d be untouchable, it’s innovation. Beyond falling out with the US President and colonising Mars, Elon Musk’s next favourite pastime looks set to be robotaxis, with Tesla preparing to launch its first fleet in Austin, Texas, [...]