Ellie Craven is a Researcher on Onward’s Getting to Zero programme.
The electric vehicle transition is well underway. Kickstarting the switch was a Conservative achievement. In 2022, a record amount (16.6 per cent) of new cars sold were electric – rocketing up from just 1.7 per cent three years earlier. There are five times more electric vehicles on our roads today than four years ago.
But there are miles to go: only three in one hundred cars in the UK are electric. Now in opposition, the Conservatives must continue championing an environmentally-ambitious, pro-motorist approach to the transition.
Labour has pledged to bring forward the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars to 2030 – the initial target Boris Johnson’s administration set until Rishi Sunak delayed the date. It will be a race to meet the restored goal. The Conservative response mustn’t be to retreat to scepticism on EVs.
Drivers increasingly want to go electric, and there simply isn’t a voting constituency of people who are opposed. Opinion polling for Onward’s new paper, Electric Feel, found that nearly two-thirds of 2019 Conservative voters buying a new car say they will likely get an electric or hybrid vehicle; nearly half of those who voted for Reform in 2024 are switching too.
Conservatives should instead focus on championing pro-motorist policies to help drivers go green. Satisfaction among EV drivers is high, with fewer than one in ten worried about charging or range. Less than a quarter of motorists looking to buy a new car in the next year plan to stick with a petrol or diesel motor, while 61 per cent plan to buy an electric or hybrid instead.
Hybrid drivers aren’t going back either; two-fifths of those planning to buy a new car next think it will be electric, and only 4 per cent think it will be petrol or diesel.
But motorists still have concerns about EVs. Amongst petrol and diesel car owners, over half are worried about charging, the upfront cost, and difficulties making long journeys. While nearly three-quarters of drivers recognise EVs’ environmental benefits, they’re unconvinced about more practical concerns.
Drivers think petrol and diesel cars are better value for money (66 per cent), more reliable (66 per cent), offer a better driving experience (53 per cent), and are safer (51 per cent) compared to EVs. But there is also a generational split, with younger drivers much more positive about EVs than older ones.
The new Labour government will be tempted to force the switch to EVs, with more stick than carrot. That would be a mistake, as it would risk undermining public support for net zero. It’s far better to address the hesitations of petrol and diesel car owners – especially as so many drivers want to go electric and are overwhelmingly satisfied when they do.
That means addressing concerns about the cost of EVs, their range and lack of charging points. That’s what the Conservative Party should do from the opposition benches, offering an ambitious but pro-motorist alternative.
First, high upfront costs must be lowered. New EVs are approximately one-third more expensive than their petrol or diesel equivalents, and there are only nine new EV models below £30,000. As the market grows, thanks to the Conservative Zero Emission Vehicle mandate requiring car manufacturers to sell increasingly more new EVs until the ban comes into force, prices will come down.
However, this must be managed carefully, ensuring we have the right market conditions to drive the expansion of affordable, efficient EVs while ensuring high standards.
The Conservatives should use the ZEV mandate’s mid-point review to call for more efficient EVs to be incentivised. And the Party should push for continuing the tax incentives it introduced for company car purchasers to choose electric cars.
But crucial to reaching competitive prices with petrol or diesel cars is reducing battery costs. There are some relatively cheap new EVs available, but these are fitted with smaller, less expensive batteries, which means the car has a shorter range. Because making long journeys is a key concern for non-EV drivers, battery costs must be lowered without compromising range.
There are exciting developments in battery technology, but to accelerate this, the Conservatives should push the Government to continue their work of mobilising UK public financial institutions to scale up new battery technologies.
Second, charging problems need to be fixed. EVs are cheaper to run, but drivers reliant on public charging won’t feel the full benefit at the moment. VAT on electricity when charging at home is levied at five per cent, but it is four times higher for public charging.
A typical driver who uses home charging for 80 per cent of their charging and public chargers for the remainder would only spend around £670 per year. In contrast, a driver without a home charger would spend £1,800 – more than the £1,520 filling a petrol or diesel car costs annually. Axing VAT on non-rapid public charging is a tax cut the Conservatives must champion on the opposition benches.
But it’s also about ensuring households without off-street parking can easily charge their car. The Government should make flexible home charging more available to households by helping those without driveways to access private charging through loan schemes, a ‘right to charge’, and permitted development rights. Smart charging should also be expanded by completing the smart meter rollout.
Conservative councils should follow the lead of Nordic countries that have rolled out successful small nudge incentives to encourage EV uptake. Working with combined authorities, councils could provide cheaper local parking and discounted charging options at public charge points.
These steps will alleviate the chief concerns of non-EV drivers. By doing this, the Conservatives can make the case for a pro-market, pro-driver transition to an electric future.
Ellie Craven is a Researcher on Onward’s Getting to Zero programme.
The electric vehicle transition is well underway. Kickstarting the switch was a Conservative achievement. In 2022, a record amount (16.6 per cent) of new cars sold were electric – rocketing up from just 1.7 per cent three years earlier. There are five times more electric vehicles on our roads today than four years ago.
But there are miles to go: only three in one hundred cars in the UK are electric. Now in opposition, the Conservatives must continue championing an environmentally-ambitious, pro-motorist approach to the transition.
Labour has pledged to bring forward the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars to 2030 – the initial target Boris Johnson’s administration set until Rishi Sunak delayed the date. It will be a race to meet the restored goal. The Conservative response mustn’t be to retreat to scepticism on EVs.
Drivers increasingly want to go electric, and there simply isn’t a voting constituency of people who are opposed. Opinion polling for Onward’s new paper, Electric Feel, found that nearly two-thirds of 2019 Conservative voters buying a new car say they will likely get an electric or hybrid vehicle; nearly half of those who voted for Reform in 2024 are switching too.
Conservatives should instead focus on championing pro-motorist policies to help drivers go green. Satisfaction among EV drivers is high, with fewer than one in ten worried about charging or range. Less than a quarter of motorists looking to buy a new car in the next year plan to stick with a petrol or diesel motor, while 61 per cent plan to buy an electric or hybrid instead.
Hybrid drivers aren’t going back either; two-fifths of those planning to buy a new car next think it will be electric, and only 4 per cent think it will be petrol or diesel.
But motorists still have concerns about EVs. Amongst petrol and diesel car owners, over half are worried about charging, the upfront cost, and difficulties making long journeys. While nearly three-quarters of drivers recognise EVs’ environmental benefits, they’re unconvinced about more practical concerns.
Drivers think petrol and diesel cars are better value for money (66 per cent), more reliable (66 per cent), offer a better driving experience (53 per cent), and are safer (51 per cent) compared to EVs. But there is also a generational split, with younger drivers much more positive about EVs than older ones.
The new Labour government will be tempted to force the switch to EVs, with more stick than carrot. That would be a mistake, as it would risk undermining public support for net zero. It’s far better to address the hesitations of petrol and diesel car owners – especially as so many drivers want to go electric and are overwhelmingly satisfied when they do.
That means addressing concerns about the cost of EVs, their range and lack of charging points. That’s what the Conservative Party should do from the opposition benches, offering an ambitious but pro-motorist alternative.
First, high upfront costs must be lowered. New EVs are approximately one-third more expensive than their petrol or diesel equivalents, and there are only nine new EV models below £30,000. As the market grows, thanks to the Conservative Zero Emission Vehicle mandate requiring car manufacturers to sell increasingly more new EVs until the ban comes into force, prices will come down.
However, this must be managed carefully, ensuring we have the right market conditions to drive the expansion of affordable, efficient EVs while ensuring high standards.
The Conservatives should use the ZEV mandate’s mid-point review to call for more efficient EVs to be incentivised. And the Party should push for continuing the tax incentives it introduced for company car purchasers to choose electric cars.
But crucial to reaching competitive prices with petrol or diesel cars is reducing battery costs. There are some relatively cheap new EVs available, but these are fitted with smaller, less expensive batteries, which means the car has a shorter range. Because making long journeys is a key concern for non-EV drivers, battery costs must be lowered without compromising range.
There are exciting developments in battery technology, but to accelerate this, the Conservatives should push the Government to continue their work of mobilising UK public financial institutions to scale up new battery technologies.
Second, charging problems need to be fixed. EVs are cheaper to run, but drivers reliant on public charging won’t feel the full benefit at the moment. VAT on electricity when charging at home is levied at five per cent, but it is four times higher for public charging.
A typical driver who uses home charging for 80 per cent of their charging and public chargers for the remainder would only spend around £670 per year. In contrast, a driver without a home charger would spend £1,800 – more than the £1,520 filling a petrol or diesel car costs annually. Axing VAT on non-rapid public charging is a tax cut the Conservatives must champion on the opposition benches.
But it’s also about ensuring households without off-street parking can easily charge their car. The Government should make flexible home charging more available to households by helping those without driveways to access private charging through loan schemes, a ‘right to charge’, and permitted development rights. Smart charging should also be expanded by completing the smart meter rollout.
Conservative councils should follow the lead of Nordic countries that have rolled out successful small nudge incentives to encourage EV uptake. Working with combined authorities, councils could provide cheaper local parking and discounted charging options at public charge points.
These steps will alleviate the chief concerns of non-EV drivers. By doing this, the Conservatives can make the case for a pro-market, pro-driver transition to an electric future.