Nearly half of British motorists now think electric vehicles should pay congestion charges, according to damning new data.
The research discovered that 48 per cent of drivers support ending the current exemption for EVs in place in London's Congestion Charge.
The study revealed significant generational differences in attitudes towards charging electric vehicles.
While 35 per cent of younger EV owners aged between 18 and 34 expressed willingness to pay congestion fees, merely six per cent of those over 55 shared this view.
GETTY/PA
|Many drivers are in favour of new traffic rules for electric vehicle owners
The findings emerge as Transport for London prepares major changes to the Congestion Charge system, with electric vehicles set to lose their complete exemption from 2026.
Transport for London has announced a phased approach to introducing charges for electric vehicles starting in January 2026.
Electric vans, HGVs and quadricycles registered with Auto Pay will receive a 50 per cent reduction, while electric cars will benefit from a 25 per cent discount.
These concessions will decrease further from March 2030. Electric commercial vehicles and quadricycles will see their discount reduced to 25 per cent, with electric cars receiving only a 12.5 per cent reduction.
TfL projects that approximately 2,200 additional vehicles will enter the Congestion Charging Zone during weekday charging hours next year alone.
The research also uncovered that 41 per cent of motorists would be more inclined to purchase an electric vehicle if clean vehicle taxation provided reduced congestion charge fees.
The study found that 30 per cent of motorists would consider switching to public transport for city journeys as congestion charging expands across UK urban areas.
Simon Staton, client management director at Venson Automotive Solutions, acknowledged the financial pressures facing fleet operators as additional UK cities implement congestion zones.
He said: "While no one ever welcomes price increases, the 100 per cent discount for EVs was never intended to be permanent."
The expert welcomed TfL's continued discounts for electric vehicles registered with AutoPay and highlighted the positive implications of the research findings.
Staton added: "It's even more promising to see from our research so many drivers encouraged to adopt cleaner vehicles to help reduce their own city charges.
"Behavioural shifts like these are essential if we want to progress to more efficient and sustainable mobility in our cities."
PA | The Congestion Charge has been operational since 2003
The Cleaner Vehicle Discount is set to expire for zero emission vehicles on December 25, 2025, before the proposals could launch a new system a week later.
Since the Congestion Charge was introduced in central London in 2003, TfL has seen a significant improvement in air quality and traffic.
In the first year of operation, the zone saw a 15 pr cent drop in circulating traffic, while bus traffic was boosted by 33 per cent as drivers left their cars at home.
Izzy Romilly, sustainable transport campaigner at climate charity Possible, said the potential Congestion Charge rule changes are designed to discourage car journeys that could be taken in a different way.