Will Electric Car Owners in France Have to Pay a New Tax?

France could soon introduce a new tax targeting owners of electric vehicles, according to a report published by the Cour des comptes.

The Cour des comptes is a French institution responsible for overseeing how public funds are spent and ensuring the effective use of taxpayer money.

According to the report, France should consider implementing a per-kilometre tax on electric vehicles, meaning drivers would be charged based on the distance they travel rather than the fuel they consume.

This idea stems from a growing financial concern: as more drivers switch from petrol and diesel cars to electric alternatives, the government's fuel tax revenue continues to decline.

Fuel taxes have traditionally been a major source of income for the French state, but electric vehicles, which do not require petrol or diesel, generate no such revenue.

The report highlights that this trend is likely to accelerate as electric vehicle adoption increases across the country, creating a growing gap in public finances.

To illustrate the issue, the report points to the United Kingdom, which has already announced plans to introduce a kilometre-based tax on electric vehicles starting in 2028.

The UK's move is intended to offset the loss of fuel tax income as more drivers there also transition to electric cars.

The Cour des comptes suggests that France may eventually need to adopt a similar approach in order to maintain stable fiscal revenue as the vehicle fleet becomes increasingly electric.

However, the report does not confirm that such a tax will definitely be introduced in France, nor does it specify a timeline for any potential decision.

Instead, it frames the issue as a policy question that French authorities will likely need to address in the coming years, particularly as other European countries begin exploring similar measures.

The debate reflects a broader challenge facing governments across Europe: how to fund public infrastructure and services as traditional fuel-based tax systems become less effective in an increasingly electrified transport sector.

For now, French officials have not announced any concrete plans, but the report signals that the conversation around electric vehicle taxation is likely to intensify in the near future.