UK retains third place in LeasePlan’s 2021 EV Readiness Index

The UK has been ranked as the third best prepared country in Europe for electric vehicle (EV) adoption, in LeasePlan’s EV Readiness Index.

The annual report analysed 22 European countries on three factors: EV registrations, the maturity of EV infrastructure, and government incentives in each country.

It showed the UK as one of the few leading the charge when it comes to total cost of ownership. Thanks to incentives such as the 0% benefit-in-kind band for EVs.

Charging infrastructure remained a roadblock, however. When looking at public chargers relative to population, the UK sits in 10th place behind leading countries such as The Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, and Sweden.

Despite some progress being made in 2020 on charging infrastructure, the rate of improvement actually dropped across Europe compared to last year (43% increase rate in 2020 compared to 73% increase in 2019).

Alfonso Martinez, managing director of LeasePlan UK, said: “It’s great to see the UK ranking as one of the top three countries in Europe for EV readiness, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still have a long way to go. A lack of charging infrastructure continues to be a real barrier to adoption, particularly in rural areas. The UK needs to address this and deliver on a strategy that takes the entire population into consideration, otherwise we risk falling behind.

“Now is the time to make a difference, and it needs to happen fast. We’ve seen the positive impact of cleaner roads and less emissions during the pandemic, so let’s keep going and ensure these learnings weren’t in vain. The pressure is on for leaders within businesses and the government alike to accelerate EV adoption – a giant step in helping to save our planet.”

Most nations saw vast improvement in their score this year, but the rate of which varies significantly across the continent, with Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic having both the lowest scores and the slowest improvement rate. This underlines the continued disparity between Western and Eastern Europe in terms of EV readiness.

The EV Readiness Index 2021 is published as part of LeasePlan’s new ‘What’s next in EVs’ report. The report provides detailed insights into the latest trends, models and technology that will shape the EV industry in 2021, as well as in-depth analysis on the EV readiness of each country.

LeasePlan will host a ‘What’s next in EVs’ webinar tomorrow (March 5). The event is free to attend and will feature an industry update by Robert Llewellyn of Fully Charged, as well as LeasePlan’s chief commercial officer, Berno Kleinherenbrink.