Blue Badge holders urged to claim £195 before | Tech News

Blue Badge holders across the UK could be impacted by significant changes to road tax coming into effect next month. From April 1, the standard road tax rate for cars registered after April 2017 will increase by £5 to £195 annually, with the exact amount varying depending on the year of registration and fuel type.

Electric vehicles (EVs), previously exempt from road tax, will now be subject to it. EVs registered from April 2025 will pay a minimal rate of £10 in the first year before moving to the standard rate. This standard rate will also apply to EVs first registered after April 2017. While disabled individuals can claim an exemption when applying for vehicle tax, Matt Fieldhouse, Car Expert at Mobility in Motion, is urging Blue Badge holders who registered an EV in the last eight years to verify their exemption entitlement now or risk missing out on a £195 saving.

Fieldhouse said: ” Matt explained: “An estimated 1.35 million disabled drivers are reliant on public charging points for their EVs or hybrid vehicles could wrongly fork out £195 in road tax this April. The introduction of this new tax for vehicles registered in the last eight years could see Blue Badge holders incorrectly paying out up to £250m in road tax across the UK.

Many Blue Badge holders are exempt from paying vehicle tax, reports the Daily Record. This includes those who already receive: 

• Higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Enhanced rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Enhanced rate mobility component of Adult Disability Payment (ADP)
• Higher rate mobility component of Child Disability Payment (CDP)
• War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

There is also a 50% reduction available for those with the PIP standard rate mobility component or the ADP standard rate mobility component.

However, Blue Badge holders must be aware of certain stipulations on the exemption including: 

• The vehicle must be registered in the disabled person’s name, or their nominated driver’s name
• It must only be used for the disabled person’s personal needs, it cannot be used by the nominated driver for their own personal use
• You can only use your exemption on one vehicle at a time – if you have more than one vehicle, you’ll need to choose which one will be exempt

Matt added: ” If you are claiming this exemption for a vehicle for the first time, this must be claimed at a Post Office that manages vehicle tax. To find your local Post Office to apply for an exemption, use the Post Office branch finder here and choose ‘vehicle tax’ from the menu. Alternatively, you can call the Post Office and ask for the closest branch to you that deals with vehicle tax.”

Importantly, there is no standard processing time for new applications or renewals of the Blue Badge, and applicants may experience a wait of approximately 12 weeks. Local councils are tasked with processing these applications and determining the associated fee; they can also provide an estimated timeline.

Below is a brief overview of the Blue Badge application process. Full details can be found on MYGOV.SCOT here.

Blue Badge automatic qualification

You will automatically qualify for a Blue Badge in Scotland if you:

• are under 16 and have a letter confirming your eligibility from your visual impairment care team
• are 16 or over and registered or certified as severely sight impaired
• get the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA
• get PIP and scored 8 points or more in the ‘moving around’ area of your assessment
• get PIP and scored 12 points in the ‘planning and following a journey’ area of your assessment
• get PIP and used to get the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA on an indefinite or lifetime basis
• get PIP, used to get the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA, and your PIP decision is being appealed
• get ADP and have been awarded either 8 points or more in the moving around activity or 12 points in the planning and following a journey activity or enhanced rate mobility without reference to points
• get the higher rate of the mobility component of Child Disability Payment
• get War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
• got a lump sum payment from tariffs 1 to 8 of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability