Plug-in electric vehicles in the United Kingdom

The adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in the United Kingdom is actively supported by the British government through the plug-in car and van grants schemes and other incentives.

About 745,000 light-duty plug-in electric vehicles had been registered in the UK up until December 2021, consisting of 395,000 all-electric vehicles and 350,000 plug-in hybrids. Overall in 2021, there were more than 190,000 sales of BEVs in the UK, with over 114,000 sales of PHEVs. Plug-in vehicles represented 18.6% of market share in 2021. Until 2019, the UK had the second largest European stock of light-duty plug-in vehicles in use after Norway. , roughly a quarter of overall sales were battery electric.

Statistics A surge of plug-in car sales began in Britain in 2014. Total registrations went from 3,586 in 2013, to 37,092 in 2016, and rose to 59,911 in 2018. The market share of the plug-in segment went from 0.16% in 2013 to 0.59% in 2014, and achieved 2.6% in 2018.

, the Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV is the all-time top-selling plug-in car in the UK with almost 37,000 units registered, followed by the Nissan Leaf with nearly 24,000. Ranking third is the BMW 330e with more than 13,000 units, followed by the BMW i3 with 11,000.

, the UK had 19,108 public charging points at 6,703 locations, of which 4,391 were rapid charging points at 1,332 locations.

Government support

Speaking at the G8 summit in 2008, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced plans for Britain to be at the forefront of a "green car revolution". He suggested that by 2020 all new cars sold in Britain could be electric or hybrid vehicles producing less than . In preparation for the introduction of mass-produced electric vehicles to Britain's roads, trials of electric cars took place from 2009, with further trials in cities across the UK from 2010. Local councils were invited to submit bids to become Britain's first "green cities". One example is Glasgow, where a Scottish consortium was awarded more than to run a pilot electric car scheme from 2009 to 2011.

London mayor Boris Johnson also announced plans in April 2009 to deliver 25,000 electric car-charging places across the capital by 2015, in order to make London the "electric car capital of Europe". His target is to get 100,000 electric vehicles onto London's streets. Johnson also pledged to convert at least 1,000 Greater London Authority fleet vehicles to electric by 2015. Transport for London announced that all new taxis must be zero emissions capable by 2018. , there were about 3,000 plug-in electric vehicles in London, 3% of the mayor's goal, up from 1,700 electric cars in January 2009. The city also has only 1,408 charging points in operation, of which, only 57% were used in the first quarter of 2014. , Greater London postcode areas contain 8,000 electric vehicles according to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

Nissan's Sunderland plant – the largest car factory in the UK – was granted from the British government and up to from the European Investment Bank. Production of the Nissan Leaf at the Sunderland plant began in March 2013. See Press Release. The plant has the capacity to produce 60,000 lithium-ion batteries and 50,000 Leafs a year. The UK-produced Leaf, which is sold only in Europe, has an improved driving range, lower price and a more European design.

, the UK government had pledged to support the deployment of plug-in vehicles in the five years between March 2010 and March 2015. However, , only had been spent and an additional of had been committed for projects up to March 2015, of which were allocated for research and development; on infrastructure such as public charging points; and in consumer purchase incentives (Plug-in Car Grant). , the UK had around 5,000 public charging points, of which, only 200 are quick chargers. By April 2014 the UK was the leader in quick-charging deployment in Europe, with 211 CHAdeMO charging stations available across the country.

As a result of lower than initially expected electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales, in January 2014 the UK government launched the "Go Ultra Low" national campaign in partnership with five of the largest manufacturers of plug-in electric vehicles, BMW, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Vauxhall. The campaign cost of and its objective was to promote the benefits of electric and plug-in hybrid cars to buyers. The government classifies any car emitting less than 75g/km of as ultra-low emission. The British government also announced its commitment to invest to install more rapid charge-points to make motorway journeys by electric car feasible. According to Nicholas Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister, "Our clear objective is to move the car fleet in this country to ultra low-emission vehicles by 2040 and to put money and policy money behind it."

In July 2014 Baroness Kramer, Minister of State for Transport, announced that all of the UK government's fleets would be supplied with funding to introduce electric vehicles. The "Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Readiness Project", funded with , is the first step towards making all government vehicles electrically powered. Central government fleets were to benefit first, with plans to bring in over 150 plug-in cars and vans. The Government Car Service, which had 85 vehicles used by ministers, was the initial target with electric cars expected to be in operation by the third quarter of 2014. A second phase would provide funds for the public sector in general to purchase more electric vehicles. Beneficiary agencies include the National Health Service, councils and police forces. In October 2019, the Labour Party said it would aim to ban the sale of new non-electrified cars by 2030.

In 2020, the UK government announced an intention to ban sales of new petrol and diesel-powered cars (including hybrids) in 2035.

Purchase incentives

In January 2009, transport secretary Geoff Hoon said the British government would make (~) available for consumer incentives to bring electric cars to market in the UK. The plug-in grant scheme was first announced in January 2009 by the Labour Government. The coalition government, led by David Cameron, took office in May 2010 and confirmed their support of the grant. This confirmed that would be available for the first 15 months of the scheme, with the 2011 Spending Review confirming funding for the programme for the lifetime of the Parliament of around (~).

Two subsidy programs were implemented, the Plug-in Car Grant, from 2011 until 2022, and the Plug-In Van Grant, from February 2012. Both offer buyers of eligible vehicles a purchase subsidy discounted at the point of purchase.

Plug-in Car Grant

The Plug-in Car Grant programme was available between 2011 and 2022. The programme reduced the upfront cost of eligible cars by providing a 25% grant towards the cost of new plug-in cars, capped at . From 2015, the purchase price cap was raised to cover up to 35% discount of the vehicle's recommended retail price, up to the same limit. This change means electric cars priced under , such as the Renault Zoe, were able to take advantage of most or all of the discount. Both private and business fleet buyers were eligible for this grant, which was received at the point of purchase.

Evolution The government announced in April 2014 that funding for the full grant of up to would remain in place until either 50,000 grants have been issued or 2017, whichever came first. Nevertheless, as forecasts estimated that the scheme would reached its 50,000 limit around November 2015, the government announced in August 2015 that the grant would continue until at least February 2016 for all plug-in cars with emissions of 75 g/km of under. The government also announced that a minimum of (~) had been made available to continue the Plug-in Car Grant.

As plug-in car sales surged during 2014 and 2015, the PICG was extended until March 2018. The maximum grant was reduced to , and the amount granted varies according to emission levels. Hydrogen fuel cell cars became eligible for the grant. Models with a list price of more than are no longer eligible for the grant. The Plug-In Van Grant scheme was extended in October 2016 to make electric trucks above 3.5 tonnes eligible for grants of up to .

, a total of 176,962 eligible cars have benefited from the subsidy since its launch in 2011, and at the same date the number of claims made through the Plug-in Van Grant scheme was 5,218 since the launch of the programme in 2012.

In 2018 the PICG was reduced from £4500 to £3500, and in March 2020 it was cut to £3000.

Eligibility At the start of the scheme, vehicles eligible for the subsidy had to meet the following criteria: Vehicle type: Only ultra-low emission cars were eligible (vehicle category M1). Carbon dioxide exhaust emissions: Vehicles must emit equal or less than 75 grams of carbon dioxide () per kilometre driven. Range: Electric vehicles (EVs) must be able to travel a minimum of between charges. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) must have a minimum all-electric range of

In February 2015 the government announced that to take account of rapidly developing technology, the criteria for the plug-in car grant was updated and from April 2015, eligible ULEVs must meet criteria in one of the following categories depending on emission levels and zero-emission-capable mileage (this means that hydrogen fuel cell cars were also eligible for the grant): Category 1: emissions of less than 50g/km and a zero-emission range of at least . Category 2: emissions of less than 50g/km and a zero-emission range between . Category 3: emissions of 50–75g/km and a zero-emission range of at least .

A price cap was in place for Category 2 and 3 models: those with a list price of more than (~) were no longer eligible for the grant. Vehicles with a zero-emission range of at least (category 1), including hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, get a full (~), but plug-in hybrids (categories 2 and 3) costing under (~) receive (~).

Plug-in Van Grant

The Plug-In Car Grant was extended to include vans since February 2012. Van buyers can receive 20% – up to (~) – off the cost of a plug-in van. To be eligible for the scheme, vans have to meet performance criteria to ensure safety, range, and ultra-low tailpipe emissions. , 637 claims have been made through the plug-in van grant program. Consumers, both business and private can receive the discount at the point of purchase. The Plug-In Van Grant scheme was extended in October 2016 to make electric trucks above 3.5 tonnes eligible for grants of up to , when businesses switch their large trucks to an electric vehicle. Also in October 2016, the government announced their commitment for an additional to the scheme so that all vans and trucks meeting the eligibility requirements can benefit from the grant scheme. The extension of the Plug-In Van grant means that N2 vans (3.5 – 12 tonnes gross weight) and N3 vans (over 12 tonnes gross weight) are now eligible.

The eligibility criteria for vans with a gross weight of 3.5 tonnes or less (N1 van) are:

Vehicle type: only new vans are eligible vehicle category N1. This includes pre-registration conversions (normal, internal combustion engine vans that were converted to battery or hybrid versions by specialist converters before the car's first registration). Carbon dioxide exhaust emissions: vehicles must emit less than 75 grams of carbon dioxide () per kilometre driven. Range: eligible fully electric vans must be able to travel a minimum of between charges. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) must have a minimum electric range of .

, the number of claims made through the Plug-in Van Grant scheme was 2,938 units since the launch of the programme in 2012, up from 1,906 made by the end of December 2015. See graph with PIVG cumulative claims and claims by quarter.

Expensive car supplement exemption