James Pestell, AFP director, said: “The feedback we are receiving is that many fleets simply haven’t appreciated and accounted for these increases, which are substantial when applied across entire fleets operating dozens, hundreds or thousands of EVs and PHEVs. 

“From April onwards, they’ll be receiving bills from the DVLA or shortfall invoices from their leasing supplier, and won’t have factored them into their running costs. That’s why we are flagging up this issue now.”

Electric cars registered after 2017 will pay the standard annual VED fee of £195 in line with petrol and diesel owners.

Meanwhile, some costly electric cars will be liable to pay the Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) fee. 

This is an extra £425 annual charge applied to vehicles valued over £40,000 between the second and sixth years of its lifespan. 

Previous data from vehicle experts Alphabet revealed just one in five electric models have an average list price of less than £40,000.

It means around 80% of vehicles will likely be liable for the extra fee from the spring.

The fee could push up the annual VED charge to £620 for some electric car owners in a major change compared to previous years. 

Estimates suggest firms could end up paying almost £2,500 per car for their first five years on the road.

James added: “Electric cars costing over £40,000 bought after the start of April – including some of the most common models on fleets – that would have attracted no tax in 2024-25 will be liable for £2,490 during the first five years of their life. That’s a big increase.”