Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support consumers who want to buy electric vehicles.

Grants to reduce the upfront purchase price of electric vehicles (EVs) have been in place for over a decade and continue to support the purchase of plug-in vans, taxis, trucks, motorbikes and wheelchair accessible vehicles. In addition, the Government offers grants to offset the cost of EV chargepoints in flats and rental accommodation, as well as businesses.

The UK EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy (published 25 March 2022) sets out the Government’s vision and commitments to make EV charging cheaper and more convenient than refuelling at a petrol station. Whilst it is expected that the majority of EV drivers will continue to charge at home, the Government will continue to work with local authorities and the private sector to ensure that public chargepoints are in place to support consumers without off-street parking and to enable long distance journeys.

The Government intends to lay legislation in the coming months to improve the consumer experience when using public chargepoints in the UK. This includes ensuring there is a 99 per cent reliability standard for all rapid chargepoints and mandating open data so they are easy to find on maps and apps.