Industry figures have responded to HM Treasury's publication this week of the government's response to its consultation on the introduction of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED), the new mileage-based charge on electric and plug-in hybrid cars due to take effect from April 2028. The government confirmed it will not proceed with mandatory mileage checks for … [Read more...]
Opposition to EVs is entrenched, say Bridgestone
A Bridgestone survey has revealed that a growing number of UK motorists are putting the brakes on electric vehicle purchases, with more than one in four drivers insisting they have no intention of making the switch. New consumer research commissioned by Bridgestone found that 26% of motorists say they will never buy an EV, up significantly from 17% in 2025 … [Read more...]
First drive: Mazda6e
Despite the drive towards a greener car market, the choice of what you can buy in Britain has been largely limited to SUVs and smaller cars, but that’s changing with the arrival of the Mazda6e medium-sized saloon. The result of a joint venture with China’s Changan company which provided the powertrain and platform, the UK specific Mazda6e has a new 78kWh … [Read more...]
First drive: Kia PV5 Passenger Plus
They upset the car market, then the EV sector, and now it looks like Kia will disrupt the lucrative MPV and business categories. Kia predicted their electric PV5 Passenger model and van would reach 2,500 sales in Britain, but it has doubled that and is still climbing with just a five-seat model and very big luggage capacity. The addition of a CV derivative … [Read more...]
Rural drivers in Wales face big EV tolls
Data for the 32 Welsh constituencies shows what ev drivers in Wales can expect to pay when the new Government toll charges come in next year. A few headline figures for Wales: Combined projected annual eVED bill across all 32 Welsh constituencies: £29.1m Average per-driver annual cost across Wales: £228 (vs £79 in Cities of London and … [Read more...]
Chinese brands in public minds
Jaecoo and Omoda are the Chinese car brands with the biggest increase in consumer awareness during the last year, according to research. May’s Startline Used Car Tracker shows Jaecoo is up 19 percentage points to 34% and Omoda by 9 percentage points to 23% compared to identical research carried out in May 2025. However, the most recognised Chinese car … [Read more...]
Welsh drivers speeding down the EV route
Blaenau Gwent is leading Britain's electric car boom, recording the fastest growth in private EV ownership, with battery electric vehicle (BEV) numbers rising by almost 90% year on year, according to new analysis of Government data by AA Cars. The latest vehicle licensing data from the Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency shows … [Read more...]
Pump or plug points to biggest fleet challenge
Adjusting to the end of the petrol and diesel era will be the biggest challenge facing fleets during the next three years, according to new research. The 2026 Arval Fleet and Mobility Observatory reveals 38% of businesses surveyed believe adapting to restrictive public policies on use of internal combustion engined (ICE) vehicles is an issue – up from 32% … [Read more...]
Iran War fuels switch to EVs
More than nine out of 10 dealers (92%) say events such as the war in Iran make more car buyers think about switching to electric. May’s Startline Used Car Tracker shows 67% believe potential buyers are aware fuelling an electric car is potentially much cheaper than petrol or diesel, 57% that the sheer speed of fuel price rises is a factor and 21% that the … [Read more...]
EVs biggest targets for mileage clocking
New analysis from vehicle history platform carVertical shows electric models are now the most commonly clocked cars in the UK, with 3% of those checked showing evidence of mileage tampering. That puts EVs ahead of diesel cars (2.8%), petrol cars (2.5%) and hybrids (2%) and comes at a time when many households are looking for ways to cut motoring costs by … [Read more...]
