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BVRLA Chief Executive Toby Poston: Launched last week, the Government’s “Get that electric feeling” advertising campaign is a welcome step forward that the BVRLA, alongside others, has long called for. We also formed part of the industry working group that helped to inform and shape its key messages.
The campaign matters because it seeks to fill a gap that, once filled, would help the UK surge towards its decarbonisation goals. Much of the oxygen in the debate is rightly taken up by discussing infrastructure availability, vehicle suitability and financial incentives. A government-backed national awareness campaign recognises something that is often overlooked in the EV transition: progress is not only driven by supply, regulation and targets, but also by confidence.
And confidence, right now, is not evenly distributed.
Ask any group of current EV drivers and you will hear a consistent story. Most will never go back to petrol or diesel cars. They have experienced the smoothness of electric driving, the convenience of charging at home or at work, and the sense of moving with the direction of travel rather than against it. For many, the shift has been far less daunting than expected; electric motoring quickly becomes the new normal.
As with most things, there are two sides to the story. Among non-adopters, the picture is very different.
Concerns around vehicle suitability, charging availability and cost loom large. For some drivers, the question is whether an EV will fit their lifestyle or business needs. For others, it is whether public charging will be reliable and accessible when it matters most. And for many, it is simply about affordability. Decisions are not just influenced by the purchase price – where the gap is shrinking but absolutely still there – but insurance, charging tariffs and uncertainty over future values.
This is not hesitation for the sake of it. It reflects the practical realities that many drivers and fleets are navigating today.
Bridging the gap between those groups requires more than optimism. It requires clear, credible information and an honest conversation about what is possible now, what is improving, and what still needs to change.
Educating all drivers on the pros and cons of all options is a crucial way to facilitate informed decisions. The reality is, not every driver can transition to a zero-emission vehicle right now. It is also true that more drivers could be making cleaner, greener choices today, but don’t have the necessary understanding, confidence, or incentive to do so. That is precisely where public information campaigns can play a valuable role. They can normalise the conversation, tackle common misconceptions, and give drivers a clearer sense of what to expect.
The ‘Get that electric feeling’ campaign is a good start in enabling the next stage of the transition to take place. It shows this Government is committed to making EVs work, and that commitment should be recognised. But my advice would be simple: one advertising campaign doesn’t make a market. If we want the transition to succeed at pace and at scale, we need to see this ambition extended.
In particular, we need meaningful support for the used EV market and a complete rethink of the proposed eVED regime.
The used market is where affordability and access meet for millions of motorists. It is also where confidence will either grow or stall. If we want more drivers to make the switch, we cannot rely solely on stuffing the new vehicle pipeline. We need a healthy, trusted second-hand market that gives buyers and fleets confidence in pricing, residual values, battery health and running costs.
While cost remains a decisive barrier and the decision between EV and ICE is not straightforward, policies that penalise EV drivers – and only EV drivers – shouldn’t see the light of day. It is clear to everybody in the industry that eVED is the wrong tax at the wrong time. Shelving it would be worth 10 advertising campaigns.
If we are truly serious about accelerating adoption, aligning policy with consumer confidence is not optional. It is the difference between a transition that looks good on paper and one that delivers in reality.
