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.
The BVRLA’s annual Road to Zero Report offers a comprehensive assessment of the UK’s progress towards decarbonising road transport. Created in partnership with Ricardo plc and presented at this year’s Fleets in Charge Conference, the report examines developments across vehicle supply, demand, and charging infrastructure, while flagging critical areas where progress is stalling.
Toby Poston, BVRLA Chief Executive, said: “The UK’s transition to a zero-emission future is in its most challenging period. On the plus side, corporate demand for electric cars remains solid and salary sacrifice schemes continue to democratise access to EVs for hard-to-reach demographics.
“Offsetting that positivity is what’s happening in the used market. Used EV values are falling relentlessly, destroying value on an epic scale. This death by a thousand cuts is costing fleets hundreds of millions of pounds and eroding confidence across our industry. We know the Government is listening. The £1.8bn committed to support EV uptake last month could make a difference, and we’ll continue to work with government to highlight how this money can achieve the best return on investment.”
Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “Transport is the engine of our economy and its success is key for delivering our climate and growth missions. The transition to zero emissions cars, vans and HGVs, brings huge opportunities to futureproof our world class automotive and logistics sectors and secure the long-term sustainable growth this country needs.
“I welcome BVRLA’s Road to Zero report and look forward to continuing to work alongside industry on this journey to deliver our joint goal of a greener and more prosperous future.”
The 2025 report shows that corporate demand for EVs remains strong, with salary sacrifice schemes helping to widen access to electric vehicles. However, these gains are being offset by continued challenges in the used vehicle market, where average used BEV values have dropped by 46% since 2021. This trend is significantly undermining fleet confidence and has already cost the sector hundreds of millions of pounds.
The report also shines a light on key trends shaping the EV landscape, including the lack of destination charging at hotels and leisure sites, limited availability of affordable EVs under £25,000, and the UK’s lagging performance in the used EV market compared to Europe. Progress remains uneven across different fleet segments, with the rental and van sectors facing particular barriers due to limited incentives and operational constraints.
With public charging infrastructure continuing to expand, the BVRLA’s Bon VoyCharge campaign is reinforcing the message that effective EV adoption depends not just on the quantity of chargepoints, but their speed, accessibility and suitability to specific use cases.
The full Road to Zero Report is now available to view at RoadToZero.co.uk.
