Latest news with #SteveGooding
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Analysis: EV drivers cover higher annual mileage than petrol owners
More than one in 20 car miles driven in the UK is by an electric vehicle and only owners of diesel models cover higher average annual mileage than those with EVs, according to new analysis. Motoring research charity the RAC Foundation has found that battery powered vehicles were responsible for 5.3 per cent of all recorded car mileage last year. That is despite EVs making up just 3.8 per cent of the national car parc. Last year, pure battery electric cars under three years old were driven an average of 10,054 miles, the study found. This is far more than petrol models (7,585 miles) and only marginally short of the average for diesel cars, which last year was 10,728 miles. The last year petrol cars were recorded to have higher average annual mileage than EVs was back in 2015 when battery vehicles were very much in their infancy. The RAC says EVs are now so developed and capable that they are becoming a serious option for long-distance business drivers and 'starting to take over where the diesel left off'. The calculations are based on an analysis of more than 1.2 million MOT tests, with record held by the DVLA. Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: 'Until recently, new car buyers, often fleets and businesses, have looked to diesels when they've needed something capable of racking up the big miles whilst still offering reasonable fuel economy. 'Now it seems that fully electric cars are starting to take over where the diesel left off, providing a practical alternative in terms of range and cost per mile, and because of the attractive tax breaks they come with.' The high-mileage capability of EVs has been improved by a rapidly growing charging network, especially the increase in availability of ultra-rapid charging hubs on the motorway network. Devices located at dedicated charging sites at motorway services can boost the batteries in the latest EVs from 10 to 80 per cent charge in under half an hour. 'The world where many saw the electric vehicle as being a second-car option, handy only for short trips, is changing rapidly to one where the battery-electric car is being bought to be a workhorse,' Gooding said. Earlier this week, the Government announced that drivers buying a new electric car will be eligible for grants of up to £3,750 . Only EVs with a retail price below £37,000 - and that are sustainably produced - are eligible for subsidies, with funding for the Electric Car Grant in place until 2028-29. However, the qualify for the scheme, manufacturers must first prove that their EVs are sustainably produced - both the cars themselves and their batteries. This will determine the size of the discount provided from taxpayer funding, which ranges from just £1,500 up to the full quota of £3,750 for the greenest-made electric models. However, manufacturers who fail to meet the sustainability criteria will be refused grants towards the sale price of their cars entirely. While car makers have widely welcomed the announcement and the potential increase in public demand for new EVs the scheme will trigger, industry insiders have dubbed it a drain on public finances. Commenting in an exclusive report by This is Money , experts warned the grant will compound existing 'rampant depreciation' for EVs, which has crashed the second-hand market in recent years.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
Electric vehicles account for more than one in 20 car miles driven in UK
More than one in 20 car miles driven in the UK is by an electric vehicle, according to new analysis. Motoring research charity the RAC has found that at the end of 2024, zero-emission cars – the vast majority of which are pure battery-electrics – were undertaking 5.3% of all car mileage. That is despite comprising just 3.8% of the national car fleet. Last year, pure battery electric cars under three years old were driven an average of 10,054 miles. For petrol and diesel cars in the same age category, the average was 7,585 miles and 10,728 miles, respectively. The calculations are based on an analysis of more than 1.2 million MOT tests. Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: 'Until recently new car buyers, often fleets and businesses, have looked to diesels when they've needed something capable of racking up the big miles whilst still offering reasonable fuel economy. 'Now it seems that fully electric cars are starting to take over where the diesel left off, providing a practical alternative in terms of range and cost per mile, and because of the attractive tax breaks they come with. 'The world where many saw the electric vehicle as being a second-car option, handy only for short trips, is changing rapidly to one where the battery-electric car is being bought to be a workhorse.' Earlier this week, the Government announced that drivers buying a new electric car will be eligible for grants of up to £3,750.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Electric vehicles account for more than one in 20 car miles driven in UK
More than one in 20 car miles driven in the UK is by an electric vehicle, according to new analysis. Motoring research charity the RAC has found that at the end of 2024, zero-emission cars – the vast majority of which are pure battery-electrics – were undertaking 5.3% of all car mileage. That is despite comprising just 3.8% of the national car fleet. Last year, pure battery electric cars under three years old were driven an average of 10,054 miles. For petrol and diesel cars in the same age category, the average was 7,585 miles and 10,728 miles, respectively. The calculations are based on an analysis of more than 1.2 million MOT tests. Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: 'Until recently new car buyers, often fleets and businesses, have looked to diesels when they've needed something capable of racking up the big miles whilst still offering reasonable fuel economy. 'Now it seems that fully electric cars are starting to take over where the diesel left off, providing a practical alternative in terms of range and cost per mile, and because of the attractive tax breaks they come with. 'The world where many saw the electric vehicle as being a second-car option, handy only for short trips, is changing rapidly to one where the battery-electric car is being bought to be a workhorse.' Earlier this week, the Government announced that drivers buying a new electric car will be eligible for grants of up to £3,750.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Electric car drivers cover higher annual mileage than petrol owners
More than one in 20 car miles driven in the UK is by an electric vehicle and only owners of diesel models cover higher average annual mileage than those with EVs, according to new analysis. Motoring research charity the RAC Foundation has found that battery powered vehicles were responsible for 5.3 per cent of all recorded car mileage last year. That is despite EVs making up just 3.8 per cent of the national car parc. Last year, pure battery electric cars under three years old were driven an average of 10,054 miles, the study found. This is far more than petrol models (7,585 miles) and only marginally short of the average for diesel cars, which last year was 10,728 miles. The RAC says EVs are becoming a serious option for high-mileage drivers and are 'starting to take over where the diesel left off'. The calculations are based on an analysis of more than 1.2 million MOT tests, with record held by the DVLA. Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: 'Until recently, new car buyers, often fleets and businesses, have looked to diesels when they've needed something capable of racking up the big miles whilst still offering reasonable fuel economy. 'Now it seems that fully electric cars are starting to take over where the diesel left off, providing a practical alternative in terms of range and cost per mile, and because of the attractive tax breaks they come with.' The high-mileage capability of EVs has been improved by a rapidly growing charging network, especially the increase in availability of ultra-rapid charging hubs on the motorway network. Devices located at dedicated charging sites at motorway services can boost the batteries in the latest EVs from 10 to 80 per cent charge in under half an hour. 'The world where many saw the electric vehicle as being a second-car option, handy only for short trips, is changing rapidly to one where the battery-electric car is being bought to be a workhorse,' Gooding said. EV DRIVERS TYPICALLY COVER HIGHER MILEAGE THAN PETROL CAR OWNERS Year Petrol Diesel Plug-in hybrid Electric Average for all fuel types 2024 7,585 10,728 9,367 10,054 8,460 2023 7,005 9,903 8,943 9,032 7,740 2022 6,496 9,635 9,202 8,588 7,372 2021 6,603 9,934 9,768 8,207 7,475 2020 6,994 10,982 10,626 9,035 8,066 2019 7,170 11,451 11,608 8,868 8,413 2018 7,175 11,577 11,497 7,856 8,665 2017 7,204 11,690 11,477 7,425 9,147 2016 7,286 11,795 11,057 7,350 9,477 2015 7,267 12,107 11,257 5,966 9,648 Source: RAC Foundation analysis of MOT data provided by DVLA Earlier this week, the Government announced that drivers buying a new electric car will be eligible for grants of up to £3,750. Only EVs with a retail price below £37,000 - and that are sustainably produced - are eligible for subsidies, with funding for the Electric Car Grant in place until 2028-29. However, the qualify for the scheme, manufacturers must first prove that their EVs are sustainably produced - both the cars themselves and their batteries. This will determine the size of the discount provided from taxpayer funding, which ranges from just £1,500 up to the full quota of £3,750 for the greenest-made electric models. However, manufacturers who fail to meet the sustainability criteria will be refused grants towards the sale price of their cars entirely. While car makers have widely welcomed the announcement and the potential increase in public demand for new EVs the scheme will trigger, industry insiders have dubbed it a drain on public finances. Commenting in an exclusive report by This is Money, experts warned the grant will compound existing 'rampant depreciation' for EVs, which has crashed the second-hand market in recent years.
Rhyl Journal
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Rhyl Journal
Private firms issue record 14.4 million parking tickets in a year
Motoring groups said the analysis of official data by the PA news agency demonstrates the 'urgent' need for the Government to reintroduce a code of practice for the sector. The daily rate that tickets were issued by private companies in the year to the end of March was 39,374. The total over the period was up 13% compared with the 12.8 million during the previous year, and more than double the 6.8 million in 2018/2019. Parking industry bodies have insisted the rising number of tickets issued is simply a result of the increase in the amount of car parks being privately managed, but motoring organisations dispute this claim. Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total daily cost to drivers may be near £3.9 million at the current rate. Private parking businesses have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees. It emerged in April that many drivers are being sent tickets they claim are unfair because of how some payment machines operate, with one campaigner claiming the devices are 'set up to trap people'. Some machines which require users to input their vehicle registration accept payment after only one letter being entered. This has led to multiple cases of drivers paying the required parking fee but still being sent a parking charge notice when their vehicle was detected by automatic number platerecognition (ANPR) cameras. A Bill to enable the introduction of a legislation-backed code of conduct received royal assent in March 2019. This code – scheduled to come into force across Britain by the end of 2023 – included halving the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50, creating a fairer appeals system, and banning the use of aggressive language on tickets. But it was withdrawn by the Conservative government in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies. Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: 'Business is clearly booming for private parking firms. 'Frankly it is now more urgent than ever that this Government puts years and years of false starts behind it and gets on with implementing both a code of practice and an independent appeals service. 'Only then are we likely to see the number of tickets starting to fall, which must be the success measure we'd all like to see.' Simon Williams, head of policy at automotive services company the RAC, said: 'Too many unfair tickets are still being handed out by operators who haven't been forced to adhere to stricter rules, and too many drivers are still being hounded by debt collection companies. 'We don't believe the parking industry's argument that PCNs are only at record levels purely because they're managing more car parks. 'We urge the Government to ensure the official code is launched this year with all the protection it was intended to have so that we don't see these figures go even higher.' Industry bodies the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community published their own code of practice in June 2024. It included requirements for consistent signage, a single set of rules for operators on private land and an 'appeals charter'. Motoring groups criticised it for not including features such as a cap on charges or the removal of debt recovery fees. PA's analysis of parking tickets was based on the number of records obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) by companies chasing vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas. Council-run car parks are not included. Some 184 parking management businesses requested vehicle owner records in 2024/25. ParkingEye was the most active, buying 2.3 million records. The DVLA, which charges companies £2.50 per record, says the fee is set to recover the cost of providing the information, and it does not make money from the process. The BPA and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government were approached for a comment.
