Come April 1, electric vehicle owners will be hit with vehicle excise duty (VED) costs for the first time and those driving petrol and diesel cars won't escape unscathed, as they face rising standard rate charges as well. However, a different threat looms in parallel, as drivers are cautioned about the potential surge of VED payment scams they might encounter.

Confused.com's car insurance expert, Rhydian Jones, said: "Since the budget, drivers are coming to terms with the increase in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) in any new petrol or diesel cars purchased next year, as well as new standard rate charge increases for all internal combustion engine (ICE) cars."

Mr Jones advised drivers to remain vigilant, ensuring payments are made exclusively through legitimate channels: "However, some drivers are being tricked by VED payment requests which are in fact scams, and are being warned to avoid these.

Here's what you should look out for if you think you might have received a scam:

· Verify your records before parting with any cash. If a dubious email pops up when it isn't even near your renewal date, then it's not time to pay.

· Spelling blunders or odd formatting in emails can be tell-tale signs of foul play

· Scam communications tend to come from bizarre and unofficial email addresses that stick out like a sore thumb.

"If you do end up clicking a link from a scam email or text, you could end up losing a lot of money. Always be vigilant, your car tax need to be renewed once per year and drivers can use our tax checker tool to see if their car is taxed and how long it has left. That way, you are less likely to fall for any unexpected notifications that could be trying to catch you out."