Free home chargers would be the single biggest Government boost to used electric vehicle (EV) sales, according to dealers surveyed in February’s Startline Used Car Tracker.
Government grants towards home chargers used to be in place for EV customers when the market was first establishing and many car manufacturers (OEMs) run incentives to include chargers with new EV purchases.
The Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV) redirected grant funding for home chargers towards landlords and those renting houses in 2022, rather than for homeowners with off-street parking.
Six out of 10 used car dealers, or 60%, said funding for free or low cost home chargers would be the most effective form of Government support for used EV sales.
The February Startline Used Car Tracker, which surveyed 301 consumers and 62 dealers, also found strong backing for other measures to support demand.
More than half of dealers, 52%, supported low or zero interest loans, while the same proportion backed schemes to provide charging for motorists without space for a home charger.
Half of the respondents said grants to reduce the vehicle purchase price would also help stimulate sales.
Further suggestions included subsidies on electricity to ensure low cost home charging, supported by 42% of dealers.
More than a quarter, 26%, favoured underwriting of residual values to reduce the cost of PCPs and personal leasing, while 23% called for the removal of the pence per mile eVED road tax planned for April 2028.
Help from Government on used EV sales
Paul Burgess, chief executive of Startline Motor Finance, said: “With larger volumes of electric stock appearing on the market every day, there have been persistent demands from the motor trade for help from the Government to support used electric car sales and we wanted to build a more detailed picture of which measures retailers thought would be effective.
“The top answer is a free charger and, at a typical cost of around £700 to £1,500, this could prove to be a cost effective solution.
“Of course, some targeted help is already available for charger fitting, but it is quite specific and not as generous.
“Plus, it doesn’t have the simple and effective appeal of knowing the Government will supply your charger for nothing.
“There is also a wide range of support among dealers for other measures. Overall, the picture that emerges is they simply want help to make buying an electric car more financially attractive and charging it easier and lower cost.”
The tracker also asked dealers what level of Government grant would be needed to persuade a buyer of a £15,000 used car to choose electric over petrol, diesel or hybrid alternatives.
The most common response was £1,500, selected by 39% of dealers, while 26% believed a £2,000 grant would be required.
Burgess added: “This is a fairly typical price point for a used electric car at the moment and from a policy point of view, the important finding is perhaps the cost of an effective subsidy is higher than that of fitting a charger.
“Overall, Government resources might be better directed towards free chargers than discounting the price of the car.”