Did you think it was a given that Labor Chancellor Rachel Reeves would increase fuel duty in the Budget? You’re not alone: ​​an Auto Express reader survey shows three-quarters of drivers (75 per cent) expected to pay more to fuel their car after the budget statement.

Despite months of speculation from experts, many are pointing to the possibility of a supplement 7p on a liter of petrolthe feared rise did not occur. So why does our post-budget poll suggest drivers are unimpressed with the decision to simply freeze fuel taxes for another year, and disillusioned with the budget in general?

Chancellor Reeves might have expected a warmer response from car owners to his decision on fuel taxes, but 66 per cent of people in our poll said the Labor budget was not good for motorists, with even more – 77 percent – saying it could have done more for drivers. Overall, only 15 per cent of Auto Express readers welcomed the budget as good news, and there was a strong message suggesting drivers are unimpressed with the budget. £500m pledged by Labor to meet manifesto pledge to repair a million potholes.

This is perhaps unsurprising, given the widely shared analysis that the bill to return Britain’s roads to a safe and healthy state is closer to £16 billion – suggesting that the This year’s cash injection will only scratch the surface. Asked whether the chancellor should have done more in the budget to support the transition to electric cars, 55 percent said no, 34 percent said yes, while 11 percent were undecided.

The RAC Foundation is a charity that has its finger on the pulse of motoring in the UK. So we asked director Steve Gooding for his comment on why a seemingly ‘good news’ budget has left drivers so disappointed.

“For the majority of people, having a car is not a lifestyle choice but a necessity. Yet even though prices have not increased, more than half of the price of fuel that most of us have needed to run our vehicles is still for the Chancellor when it comes to fuel duty and VAT. In reality, fuel duty is a tax on workers and a tax on businesses,” he said. declared.

“Drivers have also been hit by car insurance hikes that have increased at more than four times the rate of inflation over the past decade, and despite all the positive voices heard about electric vehicles, many motorists are feel forced to opt for an uncertain battery. -a propelled future.

“In the meantime, do any of us think we are getting better, smoother, more reliable service on our potholed and congested roads? That’s clearly not how it feels,” he said.

What did you think of the budget? Let us know in the comments below.