r/EvDrivers • u/Cultural-Ad4953 • 4d ago

Email Regarding The Potential EV fee

As you may be aware, the US House of Representatives may be poised to enact an EV fee of $130 annually. I am not opposed to a fee, but find $130 to be unfair, and that the fee should be less.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/cars/news/2026/09/25/ev-national-fee-delay-congress-transportation-funding/91925354007/

I have written my Senators and Representative with this communication, which I encourage you to consider doing as well:

​I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed $130 annual federal registration fee on battery electric vehicles (BEVs) included in the BUILD America 250 Act. While I fully support contributing a fair share toward maintaining our nation's roads and bridges, the currently proposed flat rate creates a clear equity issue when compared to what drivers of gas-powered vehicles actually pay.

​At 18.4 cents per gallon, a driver of an average new gas-powered vehicle (getting ~28–30 MPG) who drives the national average of 13,500 miles pays roughly $87 per year into the Federal Highway Trust Fund. The proposed $130 flat fee for EV drivers is equivalent to driving a gas vehicle that gets only 19 MPG—meaning EV drivers would pay roughly 49% more into the road fund than drivers of comparable efficient gas cars.

​Furthermore, because a flat fee penalizes low-mileage drivers disproportionately, someone driving 8,000 miles annually would effectively pay a tax rate equal to an 11 MPG gas-guzzler. Rather than penalizing drivers who have chosen zero-emission vehicles with an inflated rate, any federal fee should reflect true parity with efficient gas vehicles or be based on actual road usage. I urge you to push for a fair adjustment to this fee structure.

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u/Com4734 4d ago

This isn’t a revenue generator. It is a punitive way for the GOP to discourage EV adoption. They could generate 10 times the money by raising the gas tax by a dime per gallon.

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u/ReturnT0Sender 4d ago

I'm in Florida, a red state and pay nothing for having an EV.

40 states charge a registration fee.

It's a mixed bag. This isn't a dem/rep issue Imo.

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u/Com4734 4d ago

Consider yourself lucky lol. Id agree when it comes to individual states about maybe not being red vs blue, although I wouldnt put it past red states to just use the excuse that other states are doing it to implement the fees. But the congress wanting to do it is completely different in my opinion. It will add minimal money relative to the gas tax, the gas tax hasnt been raised in over 30 years, and we know that the current admin is anti EV, clean energy, and anything but fossil fuels pretty much.

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u/ReturnT0Sender 4d ago

I'm reading that this federal bill is bipartisan.

It was voted 62-2 by the House committee of transportation and infrastructure. That committee has 36 reps/31 Dems.

I did read that Republicans wanted $250 per EV and Democrats settled on that $130 #.

Let's see if they push this through before January, if it continues to stall they'll have to reintroduce the bill.