Electric vehicle owners must pay a new fee – Hopeless electric vehicle policy – VG

A car insurance tax is introduced for electric cars at the same rate as for motorcycles.

But most of the tax benefits for electric cars continue as today, writes the Ministry of Transport.

– desperate

– It’s useless when we know we need to increase the number of electric cars on Norwegian roads, emissions from transport in Norway have increased dramatically in recent decades and some of the biggest emissions in Norway come from transport, says party leader Une Bastholm in the Green Party.

Party leader Une Bastholm in the Green Party also warns against introducing a car insurance tax for electric cars.

– This is serious for Norwegian climate policy. The government keeps the price of gasoline low, at the same time that all owners of an electric car have to pay an additional NOK 2,000 a year. So they make it more attractive to own a gasoline car and less attractive to own an electric car, he says.

I would prefer to increase the auto insurance tax for gasoline and diesel cars to ensure that the competitive advantage of electric cars is maintained.

Want to see which cars increase taxes the most and which ones get the highest tax discount? Here you will find the BilNytt.no calculator.

More than 2000 crowns a year

In 2018, the annual fee was replaced by a state auto insurance fee. This leaves electric car owners to pay. In 2017, electric car owners paid NOK 455 a year in annual fees.

The introduction of a car insurance tax for electric cars will amount to 2,135 kronor a year for electric car owners, says the Electric Car Association, which has calculated the proposed national budget.

– There is a strong increase in taxes with which 320,000 electrical conductors have no regent. The government has said that it will gradually introduce taxes on electric cars, but this is not a gradual introduction. That works out to NOK 800 million a year, says Electric Car Association general secretary Christina Bu.

The electric car association is disappointed that the government does not set aside money at the same time for the promised national support scheme for charging systems in the housing and co-owner associations, says Bu.

– A reasonable change

Storting’s representative from the Liberal Party and former Climate and Environment Minister Ola Elvestuen told VG that introducing an “annual fee” for electric car owners is a reasonable change.

– We maintain the benefits of the electric car, with VAT and tax exemptions, which among other things has led to electric cars representing 50 percent of car sales so far this year and more than 60 percent of sales total sales in September, says Elvestuen.

It wants to continue these benefits until it is clear that the goal of selling zero-emission cars will be reached by 2025.

– Introducing a low rate on traffic tax insurance will not change this, he says.

– Are electric motorists and electric car interest groups overused?

– This is cheaper than what normal car owners pay. The important thing is that the other benefits are preserved. Electric car owners will also have to pay more than today, although they will pay less than everyone else, Elvestuen says.

The rate for motorcycles, which is what electric cars have to pay, is 2,062 kronor a year, according to NAF.

– We see that many parties propose to increase taxes on cars in the coming years. We fear that what we are seeing from the government now is the start of a larger wave of taxes on cars. We caution against this, says NAF chief Stig Skjøstad.

Car importers are positive

The National Association of Automobile Importers (BIL), on the other hand, is more positive about the changes.

– Increases in the flat rate, of course, are not something that was on our wish list, but we experience them as relatively undramatic and in line with technological development, says Director Erik Andresen at BIL.

He believes that the continuation of most of the benefits of electric vehicles will help road traffic remain more climate-friendly.

– I am very satisfied that the benefits of electric cars will continue mainly in 2021. More than half of all new cars sold now have zero emissions and the trend is increasing. The benefits of electric cars will also be very important in the coming years for Norway to achieve its climate goals. Andresen says.

More stringent range requirements for charging hybrids

The government proposes to increase the electric autonomy requirement for rechargeable hybrids in order to obtain the maximum tax relief, from the current 50 km to 75 km.

Today, few rechargeable hybrids have this approved range.

Increased requirements for electric range provide incentives to choose cars with greater range, the government writes on the tax bill.

Today, rechargeable hybrids must have a registered electric range of at least 50km to qualify for the maximum tax deduction on new car tax. Cars with an electric range of less than 50 km receive a proportionate share of the maximum deduction in the weight tax component of the new car tax.

The weight deduction in the tax on new cars is 23 percent, differentiated by electric autonomy. For rechargeable hybrids, full VAT is paid.

The new car tax amounts to approximately NOK 150,000 of the car’s retail price for cars with a “fossil” driveline, while it amounts to approximately NOK 30,000 for rechargeable hybrid cars.

– Tax advantages mean that rechargeable hybrid cars are very competitive in price. A low or no tax also means that rechargeable hybrid cars will be an attractive alternative to electric cars, the government writes.

See the changes here

Wondering which cars are taxed and which cars get less tax and therefore can be cheaper?

The news website BilNytt.no and Bilforlaget have created a rate calculator where the new rates are simulated.

Several popular cargo hybrids will receive a higher rate with the new proposal. A popular car like the Mitsubishi Outlander can raise taxes by SEK 31,000.

Here you will find the tax calculator.

The automobile industry: the increase in the CO₂ tax will affect the youngest

The government proposes to increase the two lowest positive rates in the CO₂ component by 23 percent, writes BilNytt.no.

For VG, Communications Manager Egil Steinsland of the Norwegian Automobile Industry Association (NBF) says:

– The government proposes to increase the lowest CO₂ rates and not just the maximum rates, which would only penalize cars with the highest CO₂ emissions. With this proposal, cars with low CO2 emissions will also receive a higher tax and therefore a higher price, he says.

– What we fear with the proposal is that the group that does not feel that electric cars are an alternative for the moment, for example due to lack of charging infrastructure, will stay on the fence and do not buy a new car with lower emissions than the ones you have now, Steinsland says.

He adds that the industry is very pleased that the benefits of electric cars are mainly maintained and that the taxes on trucks are added to a neutral income line.