Tax break is next step towards 5 million electric vehicles

The five year suspension of company car tax for electric vehicles (EVs) announced this week is one of a number of incentives needed if electric cars are to realise their potential on British roads.

Currently there are approximately 2,600 electric vehicles on British roads, a figure that represents 0.01 per cent of the total number of cars on our roads, but according to research carried out by the Department for Transport (DfT), by 2030 there could be as many as 5.8 million EVs in this country.

However, if current incentives are left in place and no additional action is taken they forecast that there could be as few as 500,000.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “If they are ever to compete on equal terms with petrol and diesel-engined cars, in the short to medium term there need to be incentives for car makers to build and drivers to buy EVs drivers to buy electric vehicles.”

Incentives to buy electric cars

• European law means electric cars could speed climate change

• Budget to include electric car tax break