Author: John Loughrey

Vehicle Tax Changes from April 2025 – What You Need to Know

UK Car Tax Overhaul: What You Need to Know for 2025

Big changes to UK Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), commonly known as car tax, are coming into effect on April 1, 2025. These updates will impact all drivers, whether you own a petrol, diesel, hybrid, or electric vehicle (EV).

The most significant shift? Electric vehicles will no longer be exempt from road tax. Additionally, first-year tax rates for newly registered cars will see sharp increases, while standard annual road tax is set to rise for most vehicles.

Rising First-Year Road Tax for New Cars

If you’re planning to buy a brand-new car, be prepared for higher first-year tax rates based on CO₂ emissions. From April 2025, these charges will increase significantly:

  • 0g/km: £10 (previously £0)
  • 1-50g/km: £110 (previously £10)
  • 76-90g/km: £270 (previously £135)
  • 151-170g/km: £1,360 (previously £680)
  • Over 255g/km: £5,490 (previously £2,745)

EV Owners: Prepare for New Tax Charges

Until now, EVs have been exempt from VED, but that will change in 2025. Here’s what EV owners need to know:

  • New EVs registered on or after April 1, 2025: First-year road tax will be £10. If the car originally cost over £40,000, an additional “expensive car supplement” of £425 per year will apply for five years.
  • EVs registered between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2025: Standard road tax of £195 per year will apply.
  • Older EVs (registered between March 1, 2001, and March 30, 2017): These will now be taxed at £20 per year.
  • Electric vans: A flat annual rate of £355 will be introduced, bringing them in line with petrol and diesel vans.

Standard Road Tax (VED) from April 2025

For all cars registered after April 1, 2017, the new annual tax rates will be:

  • £195 per year for petrol, diesel, hybrid, and electric cars.
  • £425 per year for five years on cars that originally cost over £40,000.

What About Older Cars?

Owners of vehicles registered between March 1, 2001, and March 31, 2017, will also see increases in VED, based on CO₂ emissions. Here’s a sample of the upcoming changes:

  • 0-100g/km: £20 (previously £0)
  • 201-225g/km: £430 (previously £415)
  • Over 255g/km: £760 (previously £735)

How Much Will Your Car Tax Increase?

For most drivers, road tax will rise in 2025. The biggest impact will be on EV owners, who will now need to factor VED into their running costs.

To avoid surprises, check the government’s car tax rate tables and plan accordingly, especially if you’re considering a new or used car purchase.

How to Minimize Your Car Tax Costs

If you’re looking to save money on road tax, here are some tips:

  • Buy an EV before April 2025 – Vehicles registered before this date won’t be subject to the expensive car supplement.
  • Opt for a lower-emission petrol or diesel model – This can help reduce first-year tax costs.
  • Renew your EV’s road tax before April 2025 – Lock in one more year of tax-free driving.

At Carlover, we offer fantastic deals on fuel-efficient and electric vehicles. Browse our listings today and find the perfect car before these new tax rates take effect!

Beware of Facebook Marketplace Car Scams: How to Stay Safe

Considering a tempting deal on a used car via Facebook Marketplace? Before handing over your money, make sure you’re not falling for a scam by acquainting yourself with the warning signs. Explore our guide below to social media scams for essential insights.

Facebook Marketplace can indeed present appealing offers, especially for those seeking budget-friendly options. However, amidst genuine listings, lurk scammers eager to prey on unsuspecting buyers. Stay vigilant and educate yourself on the red flags associated with online car purchases.

While our guide primarily focuses on Facebook Marketplace, the precautions discussed are applicable across various online platforms, including Gumtree and eBay, ensuring your safety in any private car transaction.

Understanding Facebook Marketplace Scams While most listings on platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree are legitimate, a small fraction may hide malicious intentions.

Fraudulent sellers often employ tactics to coax buyers into parting with their money without delivering the promised vehicle. Some scams involve stolen images of cars to lure victims, followed by attempts to persuade buyers of the legitimacy of the deal through messaging. They may pressure buyers to leave substantial deposits or even pay the full price upfront, only to vanish with the funds.

This leaves buyers without a car and out of pocket. According to reports, losses due to Facebook car scams reached £479,964 in 2023, a staggering 93% increase from the previous year.

Responding to these concerns, a Meta spokesperson emphasized the company’s commitment to combating online scams, urging users to report suspicious activities promptly.

Protecting Yourself from Scams on Facebook To safeguard yourself from falling victim to scams on Facebook Marketplace or any other online platform, consider the following measures:

  1. Exercise Caution: If a deal seems too good to be true, it likely is. Scammers often entice buyers with unrealistically low prices for desirable vehicles. Research similar listings to gauge the market value and be wary of significant deviations.
  2. Stay on Platform: Avoid moving conversations away from the platform. Communicating via email or text makes it harder to track interactions and increases the risk of falling prey to scams.
  3. Avoid Pressure: Refrain from succumbing to pressure tactics. Legitimate sellers won’t rush you into making payments before inspecting the vehicle in person.
  4. Conduct Checks: Perform thorough checks before committing to a purchase. Consider obtaining a HPI check to verify the vehicle’s history and ensure there are no outstanding issues.

Responding to Scams Even cautious buyers may find themselves ensnared in scams. In such cases:

  • Contact Your Bank: Notify your bank immediately. Depending on the payment method, you may be eligible for refunds through schemes like Chargeback or Section 75 under the Consumer Credit Act.
  • Report the Scam: Report fraudulent listings and users through the platform. Reporting suspicious activities helps prevent others from falling victim to similar scams.

Choose Carlover.co.uk for Hassle-Free Car Buying

For a seamless car buying experience in Northern Ireland, consider browsing Carlover.co.uk. With a vast selection of new and used models from trusted dealers, you can find great deals and buy your next car or van safely.

The Most Affordable Used NI Cars

affordable used cars

If you’re in the market for a used car but have a limited budget, it can be tough to find a reliable option that fits your price range. However, with a little research and patience, you can find some great deals on used cars that won’t break the bank. If you’re in Northern Ireland and searching for affordable used cars, “Used Cars NI” is a great keyword to use on Google. Then for great local options click on Carlover NI for the best used car deals.

Used Car Market: Will it get back to normal?

We are all feeling a bit uncertain at the minute and wondering what the used car market is going to do over the coming weeks and months. I attended a few webinars over the past week and can say the feeling I got from these were positive.

Market Trend in Sale Prices

From the data below you can see the uncertainty directly affecting used car prices caused by Covid-19. Prices across the country went down as dealerships were trying to get rid of stock and were willing to drop their prices to do this. 

From late May with the announcements of dealerships being able to open their doors again and start welcoming customers back these prices have recovered to before the lockdown.

We expect these prices to stay consistent but there may be a slight rise in the coming months due to panic buying of new stock through auction sites and dealerships competing to replenish their stock volumes.

Sales Observation Count

When looking at sales numbers across the board, these were greatly affected by the lockdown since late March. This was due to many dealerships closing their forecourts due to the lockdown restrictions the UK government put in place. 

We do see that this value doesn’t hit zero as many smaller independent dealers and dealerships who have adopted good online sales processes have been able to still sell cars and dealerships who have pivoted to allow for contact-free click and collect or contact-free delivery services have performed well during this time.

As you can see below the market hit 4% of normal sales at its lowest point during lockdown but has been recovering well since this. We are looking at sales being back to 43% of normal at the beginning of June and predict a sharp rise as the dealerships re-open for business.

Average Days to Sell

Average days to sell vehicles has been greatly affected and the length of time vehicles will be sitting on the forecourts will be extended due to lockdown but this will start to come back to normal as sales start to increase again.

Fastest Selling Used Cars

After analysing both our own market data and that from SMMT and Glass there is a clear trend towards buyers looking for higher mileage, less expensive cars. I have included a table below of the fastest-selling cars in the UK right now according to Glass’s and you can take a look at our data on what is selling via Facebook Marketplace here.

* Above table is based on the overall UK market

As you can see lower priced, higher mileage vehicles are generating the fastest sales in the market right now. This may be something you want to consider when restocking over the coming months.

Predicted Used Car Sales for 2020

If you look at the chart below you will see that although lockdown greatly affected the overall number of sales, most of the industry is predicting sales getting back close to normal numbers by the end of 2020 based on there being no second wave of the pandemic. 

This is very promising reading and with auction houses opening again and online auctions getting back to normal over the coming months this trend will continue.

Summary

Although the whole industry has been massively impacted and is still in shock from these unprecedented times there is a light at the end of the tunnel. On Carlover and across other platforms we have seen a rise in stock for the first time since the lockdown came into effect. Dealerships are starting to sell more cars and the industry is recovering quickly. 

Dealerships should really be looking at this time as an opportunity to clean out stock of undesirable cars, look at their online presence and make sure that if anything like this happens then they have their business set up to be able to continue via a cohesive digital approach.

If you would like to enhance your digital presence get in touch and we can talk to you about your website, social media, advertising and all other aspects of putting your best foot forward online.

* Charts sourced from market webinar by Glass’s Autovista Group