A new report calling on the Government to reintroduce the Plug-in Car Grant and launch grants for used EVs to accelerate transport decarbonisation is now out from Zemo Partnership.

The Decarbonising UK Road Transport: Map of Missing Policies report has been supported by the European Climate Foundation (ECF) and builds on the foundations provided by the Delivery Roadmap for Net Zero Transport, published by Zemo in December 2024.

The new report identifies specific policy proposals, breaking down road transport into sub-sectors: cars, vans, commercial vehicles, buses and coaches.

The recommendations include:

Passenger Cars

• Reintroduce the Plug-In Car Grant, targeted on more affordable models.
• Investigate possible government support for social leasing schemes – offering subsidized lease rates for EVs to lower income groups.
• Introduce grants for used electric cars that fall within the typical price range of equivalent new entry- to mid-level models, with the scheme running for five years.
• Incentivise the sharing of private charge points.

Vans

• Extend the Plug-In Van Grant beyond April 2026.
• Introduce grants for second-hand electric van purchases on a time-limited basis.
• Use consumer and business incentives to encourage the use of powered light vehicles (PLVs) for last-mile deliveries.

 Commercial Vehicles

• Extend the Plug-In Truck Grant to 2030, removing annual review processes and ensuring longer term financial commitment.
• Publish a strategy for supporting a national charging infrastructure for heavy duty vehicles along the strategic road network and at motorway service areas.
• Put in place a five year funding framework for fleet charging and refuelling infrastructure

Neil Stockley, Zemo head of public affairs and the report author said it was vitally important that policy development keeps pace with dramatic changes in the UK’s road transport landscape to help ensure that the UK’s net zero transport industry continues to thrive.

The report is the outcome of multi-stakeholder consultation process with Zemo’s membership & senior stakeholders in UK transport

The report was launched alongside a Zemo-convened Parliamentary Roundtable event in Westminster where cross-party MPs and Lords (including members of both Transport and Business and Trade Committees) discussed the report’s recommendations.

The work adds to, and reinforces, Zemo’s work to achieve a more urgent, comprehensive and integrated approach to delivering net zero transport in the UK.

Zemo’s acting managing director Jonathan Murray said: “UK transport’s transition to net zero is well under way, though progress is uneven across the sector. There are still many specific hurdles that these policy prescriptions seek to address as we accelerate into the delivery phase of transport decarbonisation.

“What gives these policy prescriptions relevance and legitimacy is the fact that they have been scrutinised by such a wide cross-section of industry and academic experts, many of them Zemo Partnership members.”

To access the Map of Missing Policies report, please click here.