Analysts say carmakers will miss UK Government ZEV mandate targets by 346,000 units in three years unless ‘major consumer concerns’ are addressed.
That is according to Cox Automotive in its latest Insight Quarterly report which backs up studies by Regit that found that several key blockers remain in place stunting mainstream EV adoption among UK car buyers.
All of the issues revolve around cost; of BEVs, parts and servicing as well as residual values down the line.
Cox say the present takeup of new cars indicates by 2008 there will be 36% of sales of BEVs, which is well short of the Government’s 52% target, equating to 346,349 cars.
The story in this week’s Car Dealer magazine said the take-up could be improved with lower costs including electric prices and more public charging points to overcome range anxieties among current petrol and diesel car owners hesitant to make the switch to a BEV.
Car makers are facing huge penalties if they fail to reach the rising percentages of BEV sales within their overall UK share and some are holding back on petrol and diesel sales to reduce the numbers and hence the penalty costs.
Meanwhile, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders figures show a total of 7,643,180 used car transactions took place in 2024 – a rise of 5.5%, with EVs taking a bigger slice of sales as early adopters came into the second-hand market at good prices compared to their new costs.
Suzuki is axing about 23% of its new car franchises and offering them repairer status to maintain servicing loyal customers models as it struggles to meet ZEV targets going forward and give them a reasonable return on their back room investments.
