The short answer
Four things changed for drivers in Great Britain during 2026. Three are about booking a driving test, and the fourth is vehicle tax.
A much bigger change was settled during 2026 but doesn't start until 2028. That's the per-mile tax on electric and plug-in hybrid cars, announced back at Budget 2025.
Northern Ireland is separate, and its change is the largest of the lot.
Two more consultations closed during the year without a decision. Those are proposals, not law, and this guide keeps them apart from the rest.
Driving test booking: three changes, three dates
These apply in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own rules.
From 31 March 2026, you can change a booked test twice rather than six times. The aim is to stop tests being endlessly shuffled while other learners wait.
From 12 May 2026, only you can book or manage your own test. Instructors can no longer do it for you, and unofficial cancellation-finder services became unlawful.
From 9 June 2026, you can only move a test to one of the three centres nearest the one it's booked at. You can always move it back to the centre you first booked.
A separate consultation on making learners wait a minimum period before taking the test closed in May without a decision. Our guide to graduated driving licences covers where that stands.
The per-mile EV tax: announced 2026, starts 2028
This is the change most 2026 round-ups get wrong, and the mistake costs readers real worry.
Electric Vehicle Excise Duty, or eVED, adds a mileage charge for electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell cars. It was announced at Budget 2025. The consultation closed on 18 March 2026 and the government published its response on 13 July 2026.
It takes effect on 1 April 2028. Nothing is payable before then.
The rate is 3p a mile for a fully electric car and 1.5p a mile for a plug-in hybrid. DVLA will run it. Drivers estimate their annual mileage up front, then a year-end odometer reading reconciles that estimate against what they actually drove. MOT data is used separately as a consistency check.
It extends vehicle tax. It doesn't replace it, so an electric car will pay both. Rates rise with inflation each year from 2029.
Vehicle tax changed on 1 April 2026 too. The standard rate for cars registered from April 2017 went from £195 to £200 a year. And the £40,000 list-price threshold that triggers the £440-a-year supplement rose to £50,000 for zero-emission cars, which is the change most electric buyers care about.
Older cars are taxed differently, on CO2 bands or engine size rather than a flat rate. Our guide to car tax bands has the detail, and the Electric Car Grant is the other side of the same policy.
Northern Ireland: graduated driver licensing
The biggest single change of the year applies in one part of the UK only.
Graduated Driver Licensing starts on 1 October 2026. Learners get a six-month minimum learning period. The restricted period after passing doubles from 12 months to 24. Night-time passenger limits arrive for the youngest new drivers.
None of it applies in England, Scotland or Wales. Our guide to graduated driving licences explains who's covered, and the 2026 new driver rules has the operational detail.
Proposed, but not decided
Two consultations ran from 7 January to 11 May 2026 and both closed without an outcome. Neither is law and neither has a start date.
The first is on penalties for motoring offences. It looked at drink and drug driving, seat belts, failing to stop and report, driving unlicensed, driving without an MOT, driving without insurance, and illegal or 'ghost' number plates. Feedback is still being analysed.
The second is on a minimum learning period for car learners in England, Scotland and Wales. It offered no preferred option, so there was no plan to agree or object to.
Treat both as signals about direction rather than as rules. If you read that penalties have gone up, check the date on what you're reading.
Our laws and fines guides cover the rules that are actually in force.
Common questions
Do electric cars pay per-mile tax now?
No. The per-mile charge takes effect on 1 April 2028, not in 2026. What happened in 2026 was the consultation and the government's response to it. Electric cars pay ordinary vehicle tax in the meantime.
How much will the electric car per-mile charge be?
3p a mile for a fully electric car and 1.5p a mile for a plug-in hybrid, from April 2028, rising with inflation each year from 2029. It sits on top of vehicle tax. It doesn't replace it.
Can my driving instructor still book my test?
No. From 12 May 2026 only the learner can book or manage their own test, and third-party booking or cancellation-finding services became unlawful.
How many times can I move my driving test?
Twice, since 31 March 2026, down from six. That limit covers any change, not just a move. Since 9 June, a move has to be to one of the three centres nearest the one it's booked at. You can always go back to the centre you first chose.
Have the penalties for driving without insurance changed in 2026?
Not yet. A consultation covering that and several other offences closed in May 2026 and the feedback is still being analysed, so nothing has changed and no date has been set.
Do these changes apply in Northern Ireland?
Some do. Vehicle tax and the coming per-mile charge are UK-wide, so they apply in Northern Ireland like everywhere else. The driving test booking changes don't: those cover England, Scotland and Wales only. Northern Ireland's own change is graduated driver licensing, which starts on 1 October 2026.