1 How healthy is the UK’s EV fleet market?
Despite recent uncertainty in the EU and USA, the UK has held firm on its commitment to electrification. All new cars must be at least full hybrids by 2030, while new cars and vans must be zero emission (CO2, at the tailpipe) from 2035. Manufacturers are already facing fines for not meeting mandatory targets.
Fleets are vital stakeholders. With incentives in place until 2030, this sector registered 79% of new EVs in the first six months of 2025, according to the Department for Transport. And this shows up in our data, with 81% of respondents having at least one EV.
HOWEVER... uptake is unbalanced:
2 What do fleets want from their EVs?
EV uptake was similar to last year’s survey, but the results show costs are a higher priority in 2025. Motivating factors can be broadly grouped into three themes:
are aiming to cut their CO2 emissions
want to reduce their impact on local air quality
That compares to 81% and 32% respectively in 2024
said EVs were good for their brand image
cited demand for EVs from drivers
Both factors were similar last year, at 39% and 26% respectively
want to cut their fuel bills
are attracted to tax and National Insurance savings
In 2024, these were much lower – 33% and 25% respectively
Higher purchase/ lease prices ranked as the most common challenge fleets have faced deploying EVs
3 How are operators building a business case for EVs?
The steep decline in battery costs has helped edge EV prices ever closer to their fuel-burning counterparts, but the two are not yet aligned.
Higher purchase/lease prices ranked as the most common challenge fleets have faced deploying EVs (62%), followed by range and performance anxiety (50%) and long charging times (45%) – all of which impact total cost of ownership (TCO). Four in five (82%) said cutting the 20% VAT on public charging to match 5% at home would help with uptake.
Van fleets were even more sensitive to in-life challenges, with 27% reporting a lack of suitable vehicles, and 29% citing operational challenges with the largest models. Light commercial fleets with a gross weight of between 3,500kg and 4,250kg can be driven without additional training, but still have to comply with some HGV-derived rules.
With almost a quarter (23%) claiming TCOs are uncertain for EVs, operators recognise that real-time data is critical for optimising their fleet. Asked what was most valuable:
4 Where are fleets’ vehicles charged?
Convenient and reliable charging is a cornerstone of a cost-efficient EV fleet, and drivers have more choice than ever. Almost two-thirds (62%) of operators charge their vehicles overnight, while others are factoring this into shift times (16%) or drivers’ breaks (12%).
Each option has some challenges. Unreliable (or unsuitable) public charging was named as a challenge by 38% of fleets, 34% said their drivers can’t charge at home, while 19% claim to have faced issues installing depot chargers – such as upgrade costs.
5 How are fleets supporting drivers with home charging?
According to the latest Zapmap Price Index, the average cost (per kilowatt-hour) of a DC rapid charger (76p) is almost 10 times higher than plugging in at home using an off-peak tariff (8p).
Not surprisingly, our data shows fleets using home charging were more likely to say EVs are cutting their operating costs (53%) than those who don’t (44%). Almost half (45%) said they will use home charging to support additional fleet electrification.
Employers can fully fund home chargers without this being taxed as a Benefit-in-Kind, and 42% of survey respondents do so. Half of that group offer this to any driver, while the rest restrict it to job-need users.
Convenient and reliable charging is a cornerstone of a cost-efficient EV fleet
6 What do fleets want from workplace charging?
Workplace charging can help fill gaps in the wider network, especially for vans.
It’s an important element, with a third (35%) of van fleet operators saying they’d struggled with a lack of suitable public charging, while a similar share (33%) added that drivers couldn’t plug in at home.
HOWEVER... this infrastructure needs to grow:
The benefits aren’t only internal. Of those who said they have their own chargers, 17% are sharing them with other fleets. Almost one in 10 (9%) fleets said using other operators’ chargers would be important future-proofing strategy.