Labour has been warned it risks missing its electric car targets unless urgent action is taken to help push drivers away from petrol and diesel vehicles.
The warning is in response to research that the UK will fall short of its Zero Emission Vehicle mandate which requires at least 52 per cent of new car sales to be electric by 2028.
Experts have warned that unless prices of electric vehicles are cut and charging is made cheaper, the UK will be unable to stick with its net zero goal.
Under the ZEV mandate, the Government aims to phase out petrol and diesel cars with a total ban on new internal combustion engine car sales coming into effect in 2035.
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The ZEV mandate requires 52 per cent of new car sales to be electric by 2028
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The current projections estimate the UK will only have 36 per cent of new car registrations electric by 2028, falling short by 346,349 cars.
The latest report from Cox Automotive detailed how more than half (58 per cent) of drivers would switch to an EV if manufacturers shared more information regarding comparative cost analysis, including ownership and running costs.
Drivers would also be more willing to purchase an EV if detailed guides on available models (26 per cent) and information on its environmental impact (16 per cent) were made available.
Meanwhile, 46 per cent explained how longer warranties or service packages from manufacturers or dealerships would help address their concerns.
High cost also continues to be a tiebreaker for drivers with seven in 10 drivers warning they would not pay more for an EV over a petrol or diesel alternative.
Philip Nothard, insight director at Cox Automotive, said: “Creating deadlines may convey a sense of urgency to the general public about the need for electrification, however, that alone is not enough to drive adoption.
“The Government needs to address this growing consumer confidence crisis with tangible incentives to help bring the price of EVs down and improve the nation’s charging infrastructure, while manufacturers and dealerships need to help combat misinformation about making the move to electric.
“Without these measures, we will simply set deadlines that we can’t hope to achieve.”
The report also found that more than four out of five drivers would be willing to buy an electric car if more incentives from the Government were introduced.
Primarily, drivers would like financial subsidies or grants to be rolled out to bring down the cost of the vehicle (62 per cent), the cost of charging away from home (56 per cent) and free or discounted home chargers (52 per cent).
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, added: “The main change dealers really want from the consultation – a general relaxation of the ZEV mandate targets – is the one thing that the Government has already ruled out, so disappointment seems inevitable.
“However, other ideas that have been floated in the media and elsewhere suggest that there could be some potential common ground, such as the introduction of interest-free loans for used electric cars and lowering of the £15,000 fine.”
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The ZEV mandate will require manufacturers to have 80 per cent of sales be electric by 2030 PABurgess warned that there could be a danger the Government ends up introducing a range of measures that “move the dial on used electric car adoption only marginally when it seems that the motor industry is looking for a more radical revision”.