The Know Daily - Tuesday 9 December 2025

_{Read in 4m 12s ∙ Listening to Britney Spears ∙}

A mile-long display is lighting up the season and shining a loving spotlight on wildlife this winter. Conservation charity Twycross Zoo has created a trail of glowing animals crafted from lanterns to help visitors reconnect with nature, and pay homage to all creatures great and small 🫶

🚘 Electric vehicle taxes

UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves recently announced a new pay-per-mile tax for electric vehicles (EVs). We’re taking a look at what it means for drivers, climate goals and the UK’s clean-transport future.

What’s the current situation?
The UK has around 36.2 million cars, and only 1.3 million of them are fully electric. So while EVs have been growing in popularity (nearly one in five new cars sold last year was electric), they’re still a small slice of the overall fleet. Upfront prices have been falling though, and new government grants now knock £1,500–£3,750 off eligible models, making the switch more affordable. Running costs are lower too: charging at home can work out to roughly half the cost per mile of petrol or diesel, and EVs generally need less maintenance. 

Why is everyone now talking taxes?
In the recent budget, Reeves revealed a pay-per-mile tax will be kicking in from April 2028, meaning EV drivers will pay 3p per mile, while plug-in hybrids will pay 1.5p. The logic? As more people leave petrol and diesel behind, the government loses fuel-duty revenue, so this new system is meant to plug that gap. Plus, Reeves says all vehicles put wear and tear on the roads, so charges should reflect how much people drive rather than what type of car they own.

What could this mean for drivers?
A typical EV driver doing about 10,000 miles a year might see around £300 added to their annual running costs. Early estimates even suggest the new charge could lead to 440,000 less EV sales over the next few years, simply because the economics feel a touch less tempting. 

What’s the reaction been?
Some drivers and industry groups argue the timing is off and risks slowing EV uptake, just when the UK needs momentum most as it gears up to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. But others say a mileage-based tax is ultimately fairer. EV drivers currently pay less in ongoing charges than petrol and diesel owners, and economists argue that long-term road funding has to come from somewhere. For these supporters, taxing by distance driven rather than by fuel type is a more transparent way to pay for road maintenance while still encouraging cleaner transport overall.

So what’s the bigger picture?
Fewer people switching to electric cars could mean slower progress towards cleaner air and lower carbon emissions. Transport is still one of the UK’s most stubborn sources of CO₂, and EVs are a central part of the plan to fix that. A dip in EV uptake doesn’t undo everything, but it could make the road to net-zero a bit longer. 

However, costs for batteries are still falling, more affordable EV models are hitting the market, charging infrastructure is expanding, and the long-term benefits (like cheaper “fuel”, quieter streets, and lower emissions) haven’t gone anywhere. The pay-per-mile tax changes the maths a bit, but it doesn’t erase those advantages altogether. Plus, EVs are just one piece of the puzzle – buses, trains, trams, and investments in cycling and walking also play a key role in the UK’s sustainable transport shift.

🇺🇦 Ukraine's President held talks in Downing Street with the UK’s Prime Minister, France’s President and Germany’s Chancellor yesterday.

• The bigger story: The gathering in London followed another round of talks between Ukrainian and US negotiators last weekend. After the meeting, Merz said he was "sceptical" over certain aspects of the US-backed peace plan for Ukraine but Zelensky maintained that “unity" between Europe, Ukraine and Washington is "very important".

🌟 A NASA scientist has claimed to have presented the first scientifically grounded explanation for the Star of Bethlehem.

🍷 Thailand has temporarily lifted a 50-year-old ban on the sale of alcoholic drinks in the afternoon in efforts to boost tourism. 

🐸 “Lily padding” is the latest workplace trend to take off in 2025 – here’s what it means. 

🏆 The Golden Globes nominations have been revealed, with one film bagging nine. 

🏠 House price growth in these two areas of England are set to out-perform London, according to new research.

🎅 1,000 Santas showed up for the 17th annual race in Michendorf, Germany – if that doesn’t mark the beginning of festive season then what does?!

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Trivia answer: C) The Harp Guide (nicknamed the “Michelin Guide for Guinness”) includes 35 pubs, 9 of which are in London.

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