'Paying their fair share': EV drivers could see new fees in proposed bill [View all]

Last edited Mon May 25, 2026, 05:34 PM - Edit history (1)

A new bipartisan bill proposes an annual fee for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle owners.
The fee aims to have EV drivers contribute to the Highway Trust Fund, similar to the federal gas tax.
Proposed fees would start at $135 for EVs and $35 for plug-in hybrids, with gradual increases.
Electric car owners could be forced to pay as much as $150 annually under a new tax that is being proposed by bipartisan leaders of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

A new proposed EV fee that will start at $135 annually beginning in October 2026 is included in a new bipartisan draft of a five-year surface transportation funding bill that the panel is considering. Under the proposed legislation, which has been dubbed the BUILD America 250 Act, the fee can be increased by $5 each year until it hits a max of $150 annually. Plug-in hybrid owners would be hit with a $35 fee starting in October that can be increased to as much as $50 by the end of the legislation in 2031.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/cars/news/2026/05/18/ev-driver-fee-proposed-us-congress/90141085007/
—————
Americans buy on average, just over 500 gallons of gasoline a year. Federal tax per gallon is 18.4¢ so gasoline cars are paying about $90 a year.

Under this proposal, EV drivers would start at $130 going to $150 a year by 2029. I already pay an extra $200 for an EV in my state plus hundreds extra at time of purchase. Other states are more.

I don’t want to hear about “the extra weighhhhtttt!!!!” The weight is about 200-300 lbs difference between similar sizes/types of cars. We don’t charge for “weight” on gasoline cars.

I’m all in on having to pay something since I don’t buy gasoline anymore. But fair would be charging on miles driven and weight. Not some increasing fee while gasoline owners are getting a tax holiday on gas no one can afford anyway.

Please contact your congressional representatives and ask for something more fair. We are trying to clean up the environment and this measure will put the US even further behind the rest of the world.

Thank you.