Fleet concerns over the cost of purchasing and running electric vehicles have hit their highest level this year following the Government’s confirmation of the new pay-per-mile Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED).

According to the latest EV Barometer from Europcar Mobility Group UK, cost uncertainty held back 44.2% of businesses from upgrading to electric fleets in June 2026. This marked a sharp increase from 37.6% in April and 38.1% in May, averaging 40.0% across the second quarter. By way of comparison, in Q4 2025, 36.7% of businesses were held back from switching to electric vehicles due to cost uncertainty.

The sudden spike in June coincided with the Government’s official confirmation of the eVED tax, which will introduce a pay-per-mile system for electric vehicles starting from April 2028.

Tom Middleditch, head of B2B marketing at Europcar, said: “The announcement that EVs will incur pay-per-mile eVED could have influenced the increased concern of cost. With volatile fuel prices pushing up the cost of driving petrol and diesel vehicles, it will be interesting to see whether this sentiment remains in the coming months.”

The new data shows that cost remains the biggest overall barrier to EV uptake but businesses also want certainty over charging.

Infrastructure concerns rose to 31.6% in Q2 2026, up from 29.5% in the first quarter of the year.

The rise in infrastructure anxiety comes despite rapid physical growth in the UK’s charging capabilities. Official government data shows that the number of public charging devices expanded by 27% between July 2025 and July 2026, surpassing 121,000 active units nationwide.

Middleditch continued: “With so much uncertainty for businesses, fleet managers under pressure to reduce both emissions and costs need absolute certainty over total cost of ownership. But they also need visible, dependable charging provision so that their business drivers can stay on the road, not sitting in a car park waiting for a charger to become available.”

Conversely, resistance from employers or employees to EVs continued to fall, from 10.8% to 10.2%, indicating that fleet electrification barriers are increasingly practical rather than cultural.

“Business drivers renting electric vehicles from Europcar have been pleasantly surprised by how easily electric cars and vans have fitted into their day-to-day operations. They find many of their preconceptions and concerns are unfounded or out of date, with newer EVs and the charging infrastructure up to the task,” stated Middleditch.

Europcar offers a growing range of rental options and vehicle choices to ensure it has an EV to suit every business journey, while a detailed handover helps drivers take to the road confidently. To help motorists gain a better understanding of EV life, the company regularly updates its free digital EV Guide and Knowledge Hub.