New CCS fee revealed

The government has decided how the costs for administering the clean car standard (CCS) will be recovered.

People registering light vehicles, which are new to the country for the first time, will pay a fee of $22.46 including GST from July 1, 2025.

The CCS has been funded by the government since January 2023 and the new fee will help make the scheme financially sustainable with the aim of lowering carbon-dioxide emissions in the long term.

A spokesman for the NZTA says: “We sought public feedback on how to structure the administration fee and most submitters supported charging a flat fee per vehicle at registration.

“People will pay the fee when they register their new-to-New Zealand light vehicle for the first time in person at one of our agents, such as the AA or VTNZ.”

Public consultation on plans for the fee was held late last year after cabinet decided the CCS administration costs should be funded by the people who use it, rather than the government.

The NZTA has previously estimated the annual cost to operate the scheme is $6.4 million but has said a restructure process could reduce this to $5.5m. 

Autofile magazine reported in January that the automotive industry was calling for a flat fee per vehicle as part of its feedback to officials.

The Motor Industry Association said such a move would be straightforward and equitable.

It urged officials to include the charge in on-road costs paid by consumers because the new-vehicle sector couldn’t absorb further cost increases without passing them on.

The Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association also supported a per-vehicle charge at first registration. 

However, it warned a uniform fee may affect affordability by adding greater relative cost to lower-value models, which make up a big proportion of used imports

The Motor Trade Association told the government that consumers should be directly charged the new fee at point of registration.