Electric motorcycles will be exempt from eVED (extended Vehicle Excise Duty) the new electric vehicle mileage charge, which is due to come into force in April 2028.

You might have missed it in the small print of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget, but battery bikes will not be expected to pay the 3p/mile charge when it comes in. The reason given is that, along with electric vans, buses and HGVs, the market for e-motorcycles is deemed to be at an earlier stage than that for electric cars and needs more encouragement. Electric bikes will start paying conventional VED from April 2026, albeit at the lowest rate of £26 for a year.

There was more good news for petrol bikers in the Budget – the freeze in fuel duty will be extended for another year, though duty will be raised in line with the Retail Price Index from April 2027. This is after a 16-year freeze in duty which has seen it decline in real terms as a proportion of the price.

At the BMF, chair Jim Freeman said: “ That is good news, whether it’ll encourage more riders to switch to battery power remains to be seen. Obviously the freeze on fuel duty will be more relevant to the majority of riders.”

Written by Peter Henshaw

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