Andy Burnham's government hitting drivers with new £375 car tax rule change in months

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Andy Burnham will be overseeing fresh Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) car tax changes within months, with UK motorists set to be hit with £375 bills. VED rates go up annually in line with Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation, and 2027 is shaping up to be no exception, with Treasury bosses having already confirmed planned increases. Charges are anticipated to climb across the board for petrol , diesel and electric vehicle drivers, with rises in standard VED rates, first-year charges and even for older motors.

But van drivers are also in the crosshairs, with experts warning fees could jump by as much as £15 per year. Analysis from Pete Barden suggests vans registered on or after March 2001 are set to face steeper costs when the alterations take effect . Early Euro 4 and Euro 5 compliant vans and pre-2011 electric vans will fork out £140 to use the road, but all other vans will now be slapped with a £375 charge from April 1, up from the existing £360 fee.

However, VED inflation for van drivers hasn't shifted, with motorists facing a £15 hike earlier this spring when rates jumped from £345 to £360 annually. The Treasury confirmed planned VED price increases in its Budget report, which was published shortly after John Healey's statement last week. The report stated: "The Government will uprate VED rates for cars, vans and motorcycles in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) from April 1, 2027."

The news delivers yet another hammer blow to van owners who are already grappling with mounting challenges in 2026. Soaring petrol and diesel prices are heaping enormous pressure on tradespeople and workers who depend on their vehicles for their livelihoods. Howard Cox, founder of FairFuelUK, previously issued a stark warning that a typical small van covering 20,000 miles annually would likely face an extra £360 bill in fuel costs due to the price surges.

He cautioned that a small business operating three vans could be shelling out an additional £1,000 or more each year in fuel expenses alone.

Read the original article on dailystar.co.uk

What we found (3)

The Daily Star tells readers that Andy Burnham's government is hitting drivers with a new £375 car tax bill. Its own body shows the £375 applies only to most vans, is a £15 rise on the current £360, and comes from the routine yearly inflation uprating rather than any new rule. The article also calls the rise a hammer blow and says van drivers are in the crosshairs, though the Treasury statement it quotes uprates cars, vans and motorcycles alike.

Headline goes beyond the article
Serious
“hitting drivers with new £375 car tax rule change”
Why this matters
The headline says the government is hitting drivers with a new £375 car tax rule change.
The impression it gives
A reader believes car drivers face a new £375 charge under a fresh rule brought in by Burnham's government.
The context
The body says the £375 figure is the annual charge for most vans, up £15 from £360. It also says the rise is the usual yearly uprating in line with RPI inflation, which the Treasury applies every year, not a new rule. The headline turns a £15 van increase into a £375 car tax hit.
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“all other vans will now be slapped with a £375 charge from April 1, up from the existing £360 fee”
- Elsewhere in the article“VED rates go up annually in line with Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation”
- Elsewhere in the article“uprate VED rates for cars, vans and motorcycles in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI)”
Show it in the article
Written straight
Van tax to rise by £15 to £375 from April as VED goes up with inflation.
Uses figures that mislead
Minor
“UK motorists set to be hit with £375 bills”
Why this matters
The opening sentence says UK motorists will be hit with £375 bills, giving the full annual charge as if it were the new cost and applying it to motorists in general.
The impression it gives
A reader believes motorists, including car drivers, face an extra or new bill of £375.
The context
The article later says £375 is the total yearly charge for most vans, and the increase is £15 from the existing £360. Older Euro 4 and Euro 5 vans and pre-2011 electric vans pay £140. The Daily Star passes off a total as the new burden and a van rate as a motorists' rate.
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“up from the existing £360 fee”
- Elsewhere in the article“fees could jump by as much as £15 per year”
Show it in the article
Uses a loaded word
Minor
“yet another hammer blow”
Why this matters
In its own voice the Daily Star calls the rise yet another hammer blow to van owners.
The impression it gives
A reader believes the change is a heavy new blow aimed at van owners.
The context
The article's own figures show a £15 yearly rise from routine RPI uprating that applies across cars, vans and motorcycles.
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“up from the existing £360 fee”
Show it in the article
“van drivers are also in the crosshairs”
Why this matters
The phrase in the crosshairs presents van drivers as deliberately targeted.
The impression it gives
A reader believes the government has singled out van drivers.
The context
The Treasury statement the article quotes uprates all VED rates by inflation, with nothing aimed at vans in particular.
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“The Government will uprate VED rates for cars, vans and motorcycles”
Show it in the article

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Andy Burnham's government hitting drivers with new £375 car tax rule change in months

Headline goes beyond the article

Uses figures that mislead

Uses a loaded word

More from Daily Star