• More than half of used car dealers (51%) say lower targets that slow electrification should result from the ZEV Mandate consultation
• 47% say hybrids should be allowed to stay on sale until 2035 and 43% that interest free loans for electric car buyers should be introduced
• However, only 12% believe the ZEV Mandate should be scrapped altogether, shows February’s Startline Used Car Tracker

Startline’s February Used Car Tracker shows strong backing for allowing hybrids to stay on sale for longer, possibly until 2035 (47%), interest free loans for consumers buying electric cars (43%), and lowering of the £15,000 per vehicle fine if manufacturers miss targets (41%).

Other suggestions include allowing UK-made EVs to be included in production totals even if they are exported (34%), new manufacturer targets that combine electric car and van sales (28%) and looser rules that enable manufacturers to trade credits (16%).

Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “The main change dealers really want from the consultation – a general relaxation of the ZEV Mandate targets – is the one thing that the government has already ruled out, so disappointment seems inevitable.

“However, other ideas that have been floated in the media and elsewhere suggest that there could be some potential common ground, such as the introduction of interest free loans for used electric cars and lowering of the £15,000 fine.

“The danger is that the government ends up introducing a range of measures that move the dial on used electric car adoption only marginally when it seems that the motor industry is looking for a more radical revision.”

However, there is limited enthusiasm for abandoning the ZEV Mandate altogether, with just 12% of dealers backing this idea.

Paul added: “In a way, this is the most interesting finding from this research. It suggests that dealers recognise the need for the ZEV Mandate and electrification in general. Relatively few think that the whole strategy should be abandoned.”

The Startline Used Car Tracker is compiled monthly for Startline Motor Finance by APD Global Research, well-known in the motor industry for their business intelligence reporting and customer experience programs. This time, 302 consumers and 58 dealers were questioned.