Our Policy Priorities | EVA England : EVA England

At EVA England, our EV policy priorities are shaped by EV drivers.

Our policy positions reflect the real-world challenges faced by EV drivers and we advocate for a fair, accessible, and affordable EV transition that works for everyone.

Our work is informed by regular engagement with our members, including surveys, workshops, and direct feedback. We use this evidence to influence government policy, shape industry standards, and raise public awareness, ensuring drivers’ needs are at the heart of the transition.

Most recently, we surveyed over 450 EV, hybrid, petrol, and diesel drivers to inform our ZEV Mandate Consultation response. Their insights confirmed that upfront cost, availability and access to public charging infrastructure, and concerns about the emerging divide between those who are able to charge on their driveways and those who cannot, persist as major barriers to the transition.

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Below are the key EV policy areas where we are actively campaigning for change:

Taxation as a tool to address upfront cost

EVs are still more expensive than their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts, with a recommended retail price (RRP) that is currently on average 24% higher than that of ICE vehicles (and 35% just a year ago).

There are a number of taxation measures available to the Government to address the high upfront cost of EVs and tackle one of the biggest barriers to greater uptake of these vehicles:

Extend the suspension of the Expensive Car Tax Supplement for EVs.
Encourage greater uptake of salary sacrifice through making it a condition of receipt of Government chargepoint grants, and mandating all large and medium companies to offer a scheme that allows access to new and used EVs.
Give industry and consumers sight of future Benefit-in-Kind rates during the transition period.
Halve VAT on new EVs for three years.

Enhanced support for a lower cost EV market, including a stronger used EV market

EVA England’s 2023 survey found that the most represented income bracket among EV drivers was £50,000–£75,000. And whilst the 2024 iteration of the survey saw increased representation among the next income bracket down, only 6% of respondents reported an income of £25,000 or less.

Given that the upfront cost of EVs remains higher than their ICE counterparts, there is a continued risk that lower-income households are excluded from the transition to zero emission vehicles.

Consider a social leasing, zero-interest loan or residual guarantee scheme to support lower-income households access lower cost EVs, using the National Wealth Fund or British Business Bank as platforms for the scheme. This could be coupled with a targeted vehicle scrappage scheme.
Produce a timetable for translation and application of the UNECE battery standard in the UK.
Provide interim guidance to consumers and businesses on measuring battery health.
Consider including measurements of battery health as part of a vehicle’s MOT

Tackling the charging divide

Charging costs at public charging points are considerably higher compared to private charging and vary enormously depending on the type of charging point. Overall, the average cost from home charging is 32p per kWh and 48p per kWh for public charging, but home charging can cost as little as 7p per kWh and public charging currently as much as 85p per kWh.

This substantial difference in costs generates an inequitable charging divide, where those households with a driveway are able to benefit from the potential for EVs to be cheaper to run than their ICE counterparts, and those without a driveway paying more to run their EV than their old ICE car.

Unless this charging divide is addressed, there is a substantial risk that certain groups of consumers will bear a disproportionate cost of the transition to EVs.

Reduce VAT on public charging points in line with the 5% rate on domestic electricity supply.
Promote greater uptake of cross-pavement technologies by simplifying the application and consent process for installers and local authorities; increasing the size of the grant available for consumers from £350 to £700; and updating guidance to encourage the development and uptake of all types of cross-pavement technologies.
Restructure and extend the workplace charging scheme to make it available to a greater number of state- funded institutions and more affordable for small and medium sized companies.

Improving access to charging

Availability of charging infrastructure, and a perception that it is too difficult to use, are still prevailing concerns amongst drivers who have not yet made the switch to electric.

Of drivers surveyed in 2024 by EVA England, 60% of respondents who identified as having a disability reported encountering at least one issue when using a public charger.

Develop an interim minimum standard through PAS 1899 that can be implemented within the next year and is a condition of receipt of Government chargepoint grants, and create a timeline for development of a final standard that ensures all chargepoints are fully accessible to all users. Designate a decision point within that timetable to move to mandate this standard should implementation by chargepoint operators on a voluntary basis be insufficient.
Move to legislate to grant tenants an automatic right to install a charge point in dwellings with off-street parking.
Publish a strategy to set out plans to remove barriers to rolling out EV signage and include provision of adequate signage as a condition for receipt of its chargepoint funds through LEVI and the RCF.
Monitor and report on the provision of roaming facilities across the industry and consider further steps to simplify the payment process for consumers for chargepoints under 8kW.

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