Four new driving rules which came into force this month – and warning to electric car drivers

Drivers should be aware that a number of new driving rules and laws came into effect at the beginning of the month.

Four new laws went into effect on April 1, including tax rates, EV fines and traffic charges.

British drivers were already subject to new changes to the driving law in March this year, including number plate changes, traffic regulation updates and clean air zones.

And these paved the way for the changes that started a few days ago.

Motorists should be aware of the new changes to avoid facing hefty fines.

For example, drivers of electric cars will be fined if they leave their vehicle at charging points for too long.

The government is also backing electric scooters, so users of these should be aware of the new plans in place for this.

These are the latest new rules and what drivers should be aware of:

1. Car taxes

In anticipation of the planned changes on April 1, 2023, new rates for motor vehicle tax have already been released.

Compared to the last BPM counter, the rates for almost all vehicles are increasing, with the exception of electric vehicles, which are still tax-free until 2025.

Gasoline and diesel vehicles registered after the April 1 deadline will incur costs.

They start with vehicles in the 51 to 75 CO2 band, and drivers are charged £30, from £25.

Meanwhile, the most polluting petrol and diesel cars – falling in the over 255 CO2 band – will have to pay £2,605, which is an increase of £240 on last year.

And for all vehicles registered between March 2001 and April 2017, they must still adhere to paying Band M tax.

The bands range from A, the lowest, to M, the highest, and are based on the amount of CO2 a vehicle emits per kilometre.

The standard rate has now skyrocketed for Band M to £695, or £729.75 if you were paying monthly.

This compares to drivers paying £630 or £661.50 in 12 monthly installments in 2022.

Drivers unsure of their own tax rate can visit GOV.UK/check-vehicle-tax

2. Parking fines for electric cars

Drivers who let their electric car charge for too long now risk hefty new fines.

However, it should be noted that this rule change has only been made in Sheffield.

But it means drivers will have to pay up to £20 if they stay too long at a charging station.

The ‘overstay charge’ is being introduced to ensure that motorists do not hinder other motorists from using the service.

Similar rules already apply in Glasgow, where EV drivers are fined £30 if they overstay at charging points across the city.

And Tesla has already incorporated an “idle fee” into its Supercharger network, charging drivers if they stay too long after their car is charged. Motorists pay 50 pence per minute as an idle fee, which rises to £1 per minute when the station is 100 per cent occupied.

3. New powers of the Council

Motorists in Reading and Hampshire should be aware that they may be at risk of new traffic fines.

This is because the municipalities have been given new powers to fine motorists.

Reading Council and Hampshire Council are now allowed to enforce ‘moving traffic offences’.

These fines can be up to £20 and up to £105 for late payment of high fines, inclusive driving on a bus lane, stopping at a yellow bus interchange or illegal U-turns.

4. E-Scooters

Drivers have called on the UK government to take action against electric scooters as there are thousands available across the country through rental schemes.

This comes after residents of Paris voted on whether 15,000 rental e-scooters can still remain on the roads in the French capital.

On April 2, Parisians voted overwhelmingly to ban e-scooters for rent from the streets of the French capital.

About thousands of the e-scooters will now disappear from central Paris at the end of August, when the city’s contracts with the three operators expire.

So, could the UK also ban electric scooters on the street?

While the UK government says this form of transport is sustainable, user-friendly and affordable and will help local authorities meet their net zero targets, others seem to disagree due to the number of deaths associated with its use.

Members of the House of Lords said e-scooters could ‘have a lot to offer’, particularly with regard to the UK’s green recovery. The scooters could be a ‘safe, relatively cheap and environmentally friendly means of transport’. But this can only happen if regulations are put in place to address safety concerns.

But as of 2019, the Parliamentary Advisory Board on Transport Safety reported a total of thirty-one e-scooter deaths, one in 2019, three in 2020, thirteen in 2021 and fourteen in 2022 (until early December).

It should be noted that in the UK it is illegal to operate a privately owned electric scooter on public roads, sidewalks or cycleways. However, you are legally entitled to buy, sell and own an electric scooter as it may be used on private property with the permission of the land owner.