The previous National Government exempted EVs from RUCs to encourage uptake. “This exemption was always intended to end when EVs hit around 2 per cent of the light vehicle fleet and we’re now at that point,” Brown said.
Both the AA and the Motor Industry Association (MIA) had raised fears of “double dipping” by the Crown in the case of plug-in hybrids (or PHEVs) - which could potentially be charged both RUCs and petrol tax.
Brown said that concern had been addressed by a lower RUC rate for PHEVs, whose owners will pay $53 per 1000km. The partial rate assumes that, on average, a plug-in hybrid will consume petrol at a rate of just under three litres per 100km. It will shake out to $636 per year using the AA’s average driver stat.
Filling a $2b hole
The outgoing Labour Government set March 31, 2024 as the final day of the exemption. Brown said today that he would stick to that date.
Both of the major parties are aware that around $4 billion in revenue is generated each year by RUCs and petrol tax - with around half of that from the latter.
If EVs maintained their RUC exemption as New Zealand’s fleet electrifies, the Crown would be left with a $2b hole in its books.
Only light EVs (those weighing 3500kg or less) are losing their RUC exemption in April. Heavy electric vehicles will be hit by RUCs from December 31, 2025.
The imposition of RUCs represents the other shoe dropping for EV sellers.
The first was the elimination of the Clean Car Discount (CCD) - and the associated “ute tax” on December 31.
December saw record EV sales as the discount entered its final days.
“I hope that with the removal of the CCD that we don’t go too far backwards in our low-emission vehicle sales,” MIA chief executive Aimee Wiley told the Herald last week.
Wiley said boom-and-bust cycles with various regulatory changes made it difficult for dealers as they ordered cars months in advance.
Overall, she supported the elimination of electric vehicles’ RUC exemption, however.
“They’ve had a free ride. It’s time for EV owners to pay their fair share,” Wiley said.
She said the reduced rate for PHEV owners was an “equitable outcome”.
The RUCs will mainly be paid by wealthier Kiwis. EV registration figures show the heaviest concentrations of electric vehicles in Remuera and other top-earning suburbs (see table here).
10,000 chargers
Although the Clean Car Discount has been wiped and RUCs imposed, Brown said the Government would subsidise the rollout of 10,000 public chargers by 2030 to encourage EV uptake, extending the current Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) scheme that has co-financed some 1300 public chargers nationwide (700 of which are operational so far), with around $6.4 million in grants and $18.2m in private sector contributions. Details of the expanded scheme are pending.
And while his Government had axed the Clean Car Discount, Brown pointed out it had maintained the Clean Car Standard (CCS, introduced in 2022 and administered by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi).
The CCS scheme sees an importer incur charges on higher-emission vehicles, but these can be cancelled out by credits for lower-emission vehicles over a 12-month period.
MTA: Spend it on roads
Motor Trade Association chief executive Lee Marshall welcomed the move, which he said was necessary as New Zealand’s fleet electrified.
“Now the challenge is to ensure that the proceeds of the RUC goes where it’s needed - on-road,” Marshall said.
Weather events of the last 12 months have accelerated the deterioration of our roads, he said.
“The reality is that cyclones and storms are only going to occur more frequently in the future.”
The National Land Transport Fund - to which RUCs contribute - previously went solely to roads.
“In 2020, the law was changed to allow these funds to pay for rail. While rail has an important role to play in our transport network, the principle that road users only pay for roading projects is the correct one, and we trust the Government to follow through on that,” Marshall said.
EV sales spiked in December - the final month of the Clean Car discount, with EVs (the MG 4, BYD Atto 3 and Tesla Model Y) accounting for three of the top five in the MIA’s chart of the month’s top-selling new light passenger vehicles overall.
The ABCs of RUCs
- RUCs are pre-purchased in blocks of 1000km online or from the likes of VTNZ or AA.
- Pure EVs will pay $76 per 1000km, plug-in hybrids $53 per 1000km.
- There will be an admin fee of $12.44 or $13.71 each time you pre-pay for a block of mileasge online or over-the-counter.
- Those same rates apply to all EVs weighing less than 3500kg (heavier electric vehicles won’t be hit by RUCs until December 31, 2025).
- Hybrids that don’t require a charge at the wall, like the Toyota Prius, are exempt. E-scooters, e-bikes and electric mopeds and motorbikes are also exempt.
- An odometer reading must be given the first time you buy a block of RUCs.
- An odometer reading is then taken each time your car gets a warrant of fitness. If the odometer exceeds the RUCs purchased by the vehicle’s owner, they will be invoiced for any difference.
- There will be a two-month grace period as the new system is phased in.
- Every EV owner will receive a letter from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi before April 1 explaining the system.
- An individual can be fined up to $15,000 for providing false RUC records.
- Late payment can incur a 10 per cent penalty on the amount owed.
LATEST: EV owners: Road user chargers will cost us twice what petrol car owners pay in fuel tax
Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.
