The UK government’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs) has hit a roadblock, with almost 80% of its cars still running on petrol, diesel, or hybrid power. This is despite previous pledges to lead by example and have a completely electric fleet by 2027. Data obtained through Freedom of Information requests by What Car? shows that only 22% of government cars are EVs, with 35% being diesel, another 35% plug-in hybrids, 6% petrol, and 2% regular hybrids.
Different government departments have varying rates of electrification, with the DVLA reporting that 88% of its cars are EVs, while the Ministry of Justice only has 16% of its fleet as EVs. The government recently increased vehicle excise duty rates for hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars in the Spring Statement, citing the need to incentivize the transition to cleaner vehicles.
What Car? editor Steve Huntingford criticized the government for penalizing drivers of low-emission alternative vehicles while not cleaning up its own fleet. The plan to go completely electric by 2027 was originally set by a Conservative administration led by Boris Johnson, with the aim of demonstrating the viability of EVs for fleets.
The Department for Transport paper outlining the policy stated that 25% of the government car fleet would be ultra-low emission by December 2022, with 100% of cars and vans being zero-emission by 2027. It remains to be seen if the current Labour government, under transport secretary Heidi Alexander, will continue with this strategy or make changes.
The government has already reversed some of its predecessor’s policies, such as delaying the ban on sales of new hybrid cars to 2035. The focus now is on whether the government will prioritize the transition to electric vehicles and lead by example in adopting cleaner transportation options.
