Local authorities across the UK have grown their electric fleets almost fivefold in the last five years, new research suggests.

Two-fifths (40%) of UK councils now operate electric vehicles, according to the research

Analysis by fleet insurance provider Churchill Expert found that there were 596 electric vehicles in council fleets across the UK in 2017, but this grew 379% to 2,851 by the end of 2021.

Overall, two-fifths (40%) of UK councils now operate electric vehicles – up from 22% five years ago – according to Churchill’s FOIA request in April 2022.

On a regional basis, Scotland has the highest proportion of councils operating an electric vehicle fleet, with over two-thirds (69%) of responding councils having one or more electric vehicles. This is an increase from 63% in 2017. London (67%) and Wales (64%) complete the top three regions for adoption of electric vehicles in council fleets.

Vans have seen steadier growth as part of the local authority electric fleet compared to cars, with numbers increasing by 1,243, from 277 in 2017 to 1,520 in 2021, a 449% rise.

In comparison, electric cars grew from 331 in 2017 to 1,393 in 2021, a 321% rise. This means vans now account for over half (52%) of electric vehicles across local authority fleets.

Nicola Richmond, head of Churchill Expert Flexible Fleet Partnerships, said: “Our research shows how far local councils have come in the past five years with integrating electric vehicles to their fleets. But there are still many councils across the UK which haven’t invested in electric vehicles yet so there is still work to do ahead of the 2030 deadline. As councils replace vehicles in their fleets and access to charging infrastructure improves, we expect the number with electric cars and vans to increase rapidly.”

Number of local authority-run electric vehicles, by region

Source: Churchill Expert data, 2022