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This article is part of the series Research in brief: Quick reads for the 2024 Parliament, produced for new Members of Parliament after the 2024 general election.
The transition to electric vehicles is an important part of plans to achieve net zero in the UK, and from 2035 all new cars on the market must be zero emission. However, only 3% of cars in the UK were fully electric in 2023, with barriers to adoption including vehicle cost, charging infrastructure and consumer scepticism.
According to government vehicle licensing data, just 3% of cars (931,000) were battery electric in the UK at the end of 2023, and 7% were hybrid electric (using an electric motor as well as petrol/diesel). Battery electric cars accounted for 16% of all new car registrations in 2023, an increase from 1% in 2018.
Cost of electric vehicles
A 2023 poll from Auto Trader, an online vehicle marketplace, found that the upfront cost of an electric vehicle remained the biggest barrier to adoption.
A government report found that a new electric vehicle costs around 40% more than an equivalent internal combustion engine vehicle in 2023. The report said the price gap had decreased from 50% in 2020 and predicted that it would fall to 0% in the late 2020s. Despite the initial price gap, electric vehicles are cheaper to run than internal combustion engine vehicles.
However, in 2022 the government said that electric vehicle price was becoming less of a barrier. In June 2022 it closed a grant scheme for new electric cars and after the 2022 Autumn Statement it legislated to end the Vehicle Excise Duty exemption for electric vehicles from 2025. It said it would shift its focus to charging point infrastructure.
Charging infrastructure
In 2024 a House of Lords Committee identified poor access to reliable charging as another key barrier for potential electric vehicle buyers.
As of April 2024 there were 60,000 electric vehicle charge points in the UK, a 50% increase from April 2023. The government has a target for 300,000 public charge points across the UK by 2030, but the rate of growth will have to increase to meet the target (see chart). The government has several grants available for charge point installation. The Library’s online dashboard on electric vehicles and charging points has data on charging points by local authority. The government has several grants available for charge point installation.
Zero emission vehicle mandate
In January 2024, the UK Government introduced a zero emission vehicle mandate for car manufacturers, intended to provide greater certainty about consumer demand for electric vehicles.
The mandate specifies the minimum proportion of car manufacturers’ sales that must be zero-emission vehicles. This will rise from 22% in 2024 to 80% by 2030 and 100% in 2035. This is effectively a ban on the sale of all new non-zero-emission cars by 2035.
Consumer scepticism
The 2024 Lords committee electric vehicle inquiry noted a “concerted campaign of misinformation” about electric vehicles in public discourse was hurting consumer confidence.
The same year, the government published guidance to address common misconceptions about electric vehicles.
Further information
Author: Dr Roger Tyers
Environment and technology
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