Autotrader: car manufacturers offering higher discounts on new petrol cars than new EVs - comment

“News that discounts being offered by manufacturers on new petrol cars are more than discounts for EVs puts lobbying by parts of the car industry to weaken the Government’s EV sales targets in a different light. Previous claims have been made of ‘unsustainable discounts’ for EVs but given petrol cars are now discounted more, and particularly coming after EVs accounted for almost 1 in 3 new cars sold in June, these don’t seem to stack up.

“The ZEV Mandate has driven competition between manufacturers, bringing down the upfront cost of a new EV and enabling ever more families to avoid surging prices at the pumps. The car industry has complied with mandate targets the past two years and is one track to do so again this year.

"Essentially you have manufacturers who have been slow to shift to EVs pitted against helping families with cost of living, particularly those getting their hands on second hand electric cars. In Germany EVs outsold all other cars in June, so unless the UK car industry makes the move to EVs, it will be left behind as it was in the 70s and 80s. The question for the Government is are there other ways they can support the likes of Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover, rather than disadvantage British motorists?”