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A successful battery electric vehicle (BEV) transition cannot succeed without a thriving, stable second-hand market and right now, that market is under serious pressure.

Last week the Government published the details of its £30m commitment to Depot and Fleet Charging Grants. At its core, this is a positive step forward and seeks to address some of the issues the BVRLA has flagged to Government regarding charging infrastructure installation at depots, including rental branches.

The Chancellor has provided clarity on how Benefit in Kind rates will be applied to Plug-in Hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), in the face of uncertainty over how vehicle emissions testing will be conducted. Forming part of ‘L-Day’ (Legislation Day), changes were also announced relating to Employee Car Ownership Schemes (ECOS).

The Government has introduced a new Electric Car Grant (ECG) which commits £650m to the new market, offering discounts of up to £3,750 off the cost of a new electric vehicle with an initial list price under £37,000.

The BVRLA has kicked off a summer campaign to shine a spotlight on destination charging. Bon VoyCharge has been launched to showcase best practice across the UK and where the industry and policymakers can collaborate on further development. Marking the first formal milestone of the campaign, the Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood MP joined industry professionals for a roundtable at Alton Towers (17 July).

The UK government has unveiled a £63 million investment (announced on 13 July), aimed at expanding EV charging infrastructure.

Six months into taking the helm at BVRLA, I wanted to give you an update on how the year is progressing. It has been one of the most challenging periods of my career, but also the most rewarding

The Government is introducing a new grant in a move to make new electric cars more affordable. The ‘Electric Car Grant’ (ECG) commits £650m to the new market, offering discounts of up to £3,750 off the cost of a new electric vehicle with an initial list price under £37,000.​

Companies representing the UK’s automotive ecosystem have written to the UK Government to emphasise the need for swift action to support the used battery electric vehicle (BEV) market. Representatives from more than 30 companies delivered the open letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP, highlighting how the Government can best direct the £1.4bn committed last month to ‘support continued uptake of electric vehicles, including vans and HGVs’.

“Thank you for listening, thank you for responding, but there is still a LOT of work to do.” That was BVRLA Chief Executive Toby Poston’s message to Government as he opened the association’s annual Fleets in Charge Conference in Westminster last week.

Progress along the UK’s Road to Zero remains in the balance. Growth in chargepoint numbers and the availability of new electric vehicles is being offset by freefalling used vehicle values and fiercely expensive public charging costs. The assessment comes out of the BVRLA’s annual Road to Zero Report, which explores decarbonisation progress across cars, vans and trucks.

New light commercial vehicle (LCV) registrations are down by -12.1% in the first half of 2025, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).