ONS admits April inflation figure was too high after vehicle tax data error

The UK’s headline inflation figure was 0.1 percentage points too high for April because of an error in the vehicle tax data collected, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.

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 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.