UK among 'best prepared' countries for EV switch

The UK is the third best prepared country in Europe for the electric vehicle (EV) transition, according to LeasePlan.

Its 2020 EV Readiness Index shows a climb of four places for the UK in the 2020 rankings, compared to 2019’s listing.

The UK sits behind the Netherlands and Norway, both tied in first place.

Its increased ranking has been put down to better charging infrastructure, a higher percentage of EV registrations and more attractive government incentives.

The UK achieved a notably high score for its combination of government-led incentives, including zero road tax, grants such as the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme and zero benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax on emission-free vehicles from April 2020.

Alfonso Martinez, managing director of LeasePlan UK, said: “The findings of LeasePlan’s 2020 EV Readiness Index are hugely encouraging and a welcome sign that we are heading in the right direction towards a more sustainable future. The UK’s significant climb in the rankings is testament to the hard work being undertaken across the country, both to raise awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles and to develop the infrastructure and services needed to make widespread adoption a reality.

“However, we realise there is still a long way to go. Over the course of the next year we are committed to leading the way towards a greener and more sustainable automotive industry, empowering our customers with information and helping to make the switch towards electric.”

Data from Motorway.co.uk shows that Birmingham has seen the fastest growth in new electric car ownership of any town or city in the UK. 

According to DVLA data, there were 2,192 new electric cars registered in Birmingham up to the end of September 2019, compared to 340 in the corresponding period in 2018 - an increase of 527%. Growth in electric car sales in Birmingham between 2018 and 2019 was five times the UK average. 

Only Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, has seen growth in electric car ownership anywhere near the levels recorded in Birmingham, over a similar time period, with almost 500% more plug-in electric cars registered in 2019 vs 2018.

The top 20 towns and cities, including Birmingham and Doncaster, have seen growth in new electric car registrations of at least 233% over the past year, which is twice the UK average of 118%.

London saw more new electric cars on the road of any UK town and city last year, with 3,308 DVLA registrations up to the end of September 2019 - an increase of 95% compared to the corresponding period in 2018. It is likely the introduction of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) in April persuaded more people this was a good time to switch to electric.

Electric car registrations across Scotland, Wales and England, were up 126%, 126% and 117% respectively in 2019 vs 2018. There were more than 22,000 new electric cars registered by the DVLA in England (22,469) alone, in the first nine months of 2019.

The benefits of going green sooner rather than later didn’t resonate in all regions though, with Bedford seeing a 78% drop in new EV registrations in 2019 vs 2018. Electric vehicle registrations in Stratford-upon-Avon fell almost fifty percent in 2019.

UK towns and cities with the fastest % growth in new electric car registrations: