Police get ‘Big Brother’ powers to raid homes of EV drivers who dodge new tax – sparking accusations of a ‘state power grab’
Ministers plan to give police and transport officials powers to enter premises where a vehicle is registered and inspect, test or temporarily detain cars if they suspect drivers have understated mileage to avoid a new electric vehicle road charge. The proposed enforcement measures have drawn criticism from MPs and civil liberties campaigners, who argue they could intrude on motorists’ homes and involve police in cases caused by simple mistakes.
The pay-per-mile charge, known as eVED, is due to start in April 2028 for electric and hybrid car owners, alongside standard vehicle excise duty. Drivers will report their mileage each year, and officials will compare it with MOT readings; the proposed rates are 3p per mile for fully electric cars and 1.5p for hybrids. Draft legislation would also make it a criminal offence not to comply with an inspection or vehicle move, and is expected to be included in the upcoming Finance Bill.
- New powers could let officials inspect cars over suspected mileage fraud.
- eVED is planned from April 2028.
- Rates are 3p per mile for electric cars and 1.5p for hybrids.
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The UK government is introducing a new road charge for electric and hybrid car owners, due to start in April 2028. Called eVED, it will replace traditional vehicle tax for these vehicles and charge drivers based on miles travelled: 3 pence per mile for fully electric cars and 1.5 pence for hybrids.
Drivers will report their annual mileage to authorities, who will check these figures against MOT records to spot discrepancies. The government believes this approach is fairer than flat annual charges, as drivers pay based on actual road use rather than vehicle type.
Ministers plan to give police and transport officials the power to enter homes where vehicles are registered to inspect cars and check mileage records if they suspect drivers have understated their miles. The proposals have sparked criticism from MPs and civil liberties campaigners, who argue these powers amount to an intrusion into people's homes and could unfairly penalise honest errors or technical disputes over mileage figures.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The enforcement powers are necessary to prevent widespread tax evasion that would undermine the new scheme's integrity and viability. A tax system dependent on voluntary accurate mileage reporting requires meaningful consequences for non-compliance; without the ability to verify claims through home inspections, drivers have little incentive to report truthfully, and the revenue needed for road maintenance would be substantially compromised. Home visits represent the only practical means of confirming actual vehicle usage when MOT readings alone cannot capture the full picture of mileage across the calendar year. Similar inspection powers already exist for vehicle safety compliance, so extending them to tax enforcement is a consistent and proportionate application of established police functions.
The case against
Granting police powers to enter private homes on suspicion of tax evasion represents a troubling expansion of state authority into matters that could be handled through administrative or civil remedies. Tax disputes, including honest mistakes in mileage reporting, should not be criminalised or met with intrusive home visits when other enforcement mechanisms exist—such as administrative penalties, fines, or vehicle registration suspension—that achieve compliance without breaching domestic privacy. Making it a criminal offence to fail to comply with such inspections sets a concerning precedent that could extend police involvement into other tax and regulatory matters, whilst the threshold for triggering home visits remains vague and vulnerable to abuse. The proportionality is questionable: conflating unintentional reporting errors with deliberate evasion and treating them both as matters warranting police raids undermines the distinction between crime and administrative non-compliance.