More EV charge points top of motorists鈥 wishlist for Spring Budget
March 01, 2024 by John Rawlings
Car changing is a big deal
The Spring Budget is an important opportunity for the government to introduce incentives for electric vehicles (EVs). But what鈥檚 top of motorists鈥 wishlists? Read on to find out鈥
- 莲花直播 calling for clear, unambiguous backing for the EV transition
- 74% of motorists don鈥檛 think the Government is doing enough to support the transition to electric vehicles according to new survey by 莲花直播
- 鈥楳ore EV charge points鈥 is the investment motorists most want to see from the Spring Budget
- EV 鈥榤oney off schemes鈥 are more of an incentive to motorists than expanding clean air zones
London, UK 鈥 Motorists want the Chancellor to prioritise policies that support the transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs) according to the latest research from .
莲花直播 polled over 1,000 motorists specifically about what they鈥檇 like to see in the Spring Budget on 6 March, and 74% said they don鈥檛 think the Government is doing enough to support the transition to EVs.
When asked what policies they鈥檇 like to see put in place to help motorists make the switch, top of the wishlist was 鈥榤ore charging points鈥 with 59% of respondents saying the Government should be investing in improving EV infrastructure.听
Almost half (45%) said they鈥檇 like the Chancellor to review pricing of electricity tariffs for EV public charging, while 41% said they鈥檇 like to see more incentives to encourage EV ownership, such as eliminating road tax for EVs.听
Motorists also want to see more investment in roads 鈥 89% said they think the Government should use fuel duty and vehicle tax funds exclusively for road maintenance and improvements.
The research also suggests that a carrot works better than a stick when it comes to environmental policies to support the switch to EVs. More than half (51%) of those polled said they鈥檇 like the Government to introduce more money off schemes and financial incentives compared to just 12% who would like to see the expansion of Ultra Low Emission Zones and Clean Air Zones.
John Rawlings, Consumer Editor at 莲花直播 said: 鈥淭here is a clear message here from motorists to the Chancellor 鈥 more needs to be done to support the transition to EVs.听
鈥淲e know from previous research that while two in five (38%) people would consider an EV for their next car, the lack of infrastructure 鈥 specifically charging points 鈥 is a sticking point for motorists, as is the initial cost of buying an EV.听
鈥淥ur latest research confirms that these issues are still key, with the majority of motorists now calling for the Chancellor to put specific policies in place to increase the number of charging points and make it cheaper for people to buy an electric car.
鈥淲hen the Government announced its decision to delay the ban on the sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles back to 2035, polling at the time revealed that one in four (24%) of motorists were less likely to buy an electric vehicle directly in response to that delay.
鈥淢otorists need to trust that the transition to EVs is being supported by policymakers as they decide which car they鈥檒l be choosing next, so any commitment by the Chancellor will go a long way towards buoying motorists鈥 confidence.鈥
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- ENDS 鈥撎
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About the survey
Q1. Do you think the Government should use fuel duty & vehicle tax funds exclusively for road maintenance and improvements? 1121 respondents
Q2. Is the Government doing enough to support the transition to electric vehicles? 926 respondents
Q3: What do you think the Government should do to help motorists? 780 respondents听
Q4: Which environmental policies would you like to see more of? 700 respondents听
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