Electric Car Grant still dividing opinions
Almost half of dealers believe the Electric Car Grant is a ‘useful boost’, but nearly the same number believe charging infrastructure remains the key issue.
The government introduced the new scheme in July, offering up to £3,750 off new electric cars priced under £37,000.
According to September’s Startline Used Car Tracker, 48% of dealers believe the grant will provide a valuable boost for electric car sales.
However, 40% think access to chargers is a bigger problem for electric cars than affordability, and 32% say that the banding system used to calculate grants based on their environmental impact is too complex.
Almost a third (28%) also believe the initiative could depress electric car residual values, with 25% calling for a similar scheme for used electric cars.
Widespread scepticism
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “There’s been quite a lot of noise in the motor industry about the electric car scheme, with some complaints that it doesn’t cover more vehicles and that only a few models receive the maximum grant.
“Our research shows that around half of dealers generally see the initiative as a positive, but there is widespread scepticism, and it is especially notable that around a quarter of our respondents think similar funding is instead needed for electric used cars, suggesting they believe prices need to fall more in that part of the market.”
