[Immo1282]

No experience yet as mine is still a WIP and off-road, but this does go contrary to what I was told when I called the DVLA before starting... If it's true it worries me a fair bit - but I was told specifically about the donor car I bought that it would be fine...

I've had mixed messages from different people who pick up the phone to answer the same question from the DVLA, so perhaps it's worth calling for a second opinion?

 

[Immo1282]

Real bummer about the law being so backwards - One of the reasons a conversion was attractive to me was to save the tax bill...

Glad your RX-8 is finished though - Nice to see that it's perfectly doable even on a tight budget.

EDIT: I read further down; The issue seems isolated to modifying an existing vehicle - which is really dumb since Schedule 2, section 20G specifies,

20G[F41(1)]An electrically propelled vehicle is an exempt vehicle.
[F42(2)But a vehicle is not an exempt vehicle by reason of this paragraph if—

(a)it is a vehicle to which Part 1AA of Schedule 1 applies (light passenger vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2017), and

(b)its price exceeds £40,000.

(3)Paragraph 1GF of Schedule 1 (calculating the price of a vehicle) applies for the purposes of sub-paragraph (2)(b).]

 

[Immo1282]

I just got off a live chat session with the DVLA and was told three separate figures...

I stated the reg, make, model and colour, and that I was planning to convert to 100% battery electric. I was firstly told that I would recieve a £10 discount as it would classify as an alternatively fuelled vehicle under the following standard.

Cars that are constructed/modified to run on certain “prescribed fuels” attract a reduced rate of vehicle tax which is £10 per annum less than the standard rate.
 
These vehicle fall under the ‘Alternative Fuel’ taxation class.


Prescribed Fuels
The fuels that would qualify for this tax class are:
Road fuel gas (e.g. LPG) as described in the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, Section 146.
Petrol and Road fuel gas (e.g. LPG)
Electricity and Petrol/Diesel (e.g. Hybrid Electric)
Bio-ethanol
A mixture of Bio-ethanol and Unleaded Petrol (proportion of Bio-ethanol by volume must be at least 85%)
 
All other fuel types pay the standard rate of vehicle tax.

After clarifying to the adviser that my conversion would not classify as such as "Electricity and Petrol/Diesel" implies that you use both ("and" not any variation of "or"), the adviser promptly told me that I would be paying standard rate.

I clarified that the converted vehicle would be zero-emissions 100% pure electric and she went to check the record.

I was then told that I would indeed be eligible for £0 tax and that I would need to send my V5C with sections completed to reflect the new fuel-type and tax class along with documentary evidence for the changes to Swansea, recieving a new V5 in a few weeks of their reciept of it. No doubt I will also submit the chat transcript of this afternoon's conversation but I definitely have more questions to ask now than I did going in...

I don't know all of the differences between your RX8 and my MG, but mine was registered in 2003 and currently, I would be paying £235 per annum in road tax.

I'm glad your case was escalated Dave but that does mean that one of us has been given incorrect information. I'm hoping for both of our wallets going forwards, it is you - but I'm not so optimistic...

 

[Immo1282]

I wonder what the legality of converting, taxing on standard rate to get it on the road, and later getting it inspected and re-registered would be?

Hopefully we don't, but maybe paying £200-300 tax a year for a DIY EV is wrong, but better than having it ordered off road because of a failed inspection.

There's a decent chance that the road tax system will be overhauled completely in the next few years anyway as the Govt. notices their revenue stream from car tax start to evaporate...