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April inflation figure was too high because of vehicle tax error – ONS

  • Official data showed inflation rose to 3.5% in April
  • But that figure is wrong because of error in vehicle tax
  • DfT provided incorrect info to ONS

Time 9:00 am, June 6, 2025

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has admitted that the UK’s headline inflation figure was too high for April because of an error in the vehicle tax data collected.

Official data published last month showed Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rose to 3.5% in April, up from 2.6% in March.

But the ONS said on Thursday (Jun 5) that it has since spotted an error in the vehicle excise duty data provided to the ONS by the Department for Transport, which is part of the information used to calculate inflation.

The number of vehicles subject to the tax in the first year of registration was too high in the data given, according to the statisticians.

This meant CPI was overstated by 0.1 percentage points in April – meaning it should have been 3.4%. Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation was also 0.1 percentage points too high for the month.

The ONS said it would not be revising the official published figures, in line with its policy which only carries out revisions in exceptional circumstances.

It also confirmed that no other periods were affected by the error.

The correct vehicle excise duty data is set to be brought in for May’s inflation announcement.

The tax is levied on every vehicle using public roads in the UK, including electric cars, which from April were no longer exempt.

Rates for petrol cars also increased from April, with owners of the largest and most polluting vehicles seeing a doubling of the amount they have to pay in the first year.

The ONS had said the tax hike was one of the biggest factors contributing to the jump in CPI inflation during the month.

James Batchelor's avatar

James – or Batch as he’s known – started at Car Dealer in 2010, first as the work experience boy, eventually becoming editor in 2013. He worked for Auto Express as editor-at-large from 2014 and was the face of Carbuyer’s YouTube reviews. In 2020, he went freelance and now writes for a number of national titles and contributes regularly to Car Dealer. In October 2021 he became Car Dealer's associate editor.



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