Penalty warning over RUC

The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) is reminding owners of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) to buy their first road user charges (RUC) licence before the end of this month.

EVs and PHEVs became subject to RUC on April 1 this year – having previously been exempt since 2009 – and owners have been given until May 31 to acquire their first licence. 

Affected owners who fail to secure an RUC licence before the deadline risk receiving a roadside police infringement and an invoice from NZTA backdated to April 1, plus penalties for late payment.

Tara Macmillan, head of regulatory programmes, says: “We’re encouraging people not to leave it to the last minute as there will be penalties. If you haven’t already bought your licence, now’s the time to do it. 

“It’s quick and easy to buy RUC online – just go to the NZTA website and click on ‘online services’ then ‘buy a road user charges licence’. If online is not an option you can also buy over the counter at an NZTA agent.”

Owners need to provide details such as their vehicle’s plate number and current odometer reading when buying a licence, which should then be displayed on the vehicle’s windscreen.

Under the RUC system, consumers pre-pay for the distance they’re going to travel, in units of 1,000km. 

The rate for EVs is $76 per 1,000km and $38 for PHEVs, with the latter charge reflecting that owners of those vehicles also pay tax through petrol. 

There is an administration fee of $12.44 for buying a licence online, or $13.71 when buying through an agent.

Macmillan says RUC licences have been bought for more than two-thirds of New Zealand’s 105,000 EVs and PHEVs.

“We’re expecting a surge as we get closer to May 31 so we encourage people to get onto it now to avoid that last-minute rush.”