Fleet sentiment towards electrification improves

Fewer barriers stand between businesses and the electrification of their fleets, according to Europcar Mobility Group UK.

In the latest analysis of its monthly electric vehicle (EV) barometer, Europcar found that only employer/employee resistance has become more of an issue in the first half of 2025 (H1 2025) when compared to the same period last year, rising slightly from 12.8% to 13.4%.

In H1 2024, an average of 12% of businesses said none of these issues held them back from going electric, a figure which rose to 21% by H1 2025.

All other barriers have seen slight drops, with concerns around charging infrastructure being a barrier for 31% of businesses in H1 2025, compared to 40% in H1 2024.

Similarly, choice of models fell from 19% to 14%; lack of knowledge fell from 22% to 17% and concerns about charging infrastructure dropped from 35% to 31%.

“It is always encouraging to see sentiment moving in the right direction amongst business drivers, but the shift is marginal,” said Tom Middleditch, head of electric mobility and sustainability spokesperson at Europcar.

“There is still a long way to go before businesses will feel confident to make the switch to EVs.

“More government support will be vital for getting businesses and employers on side in the coming years as we approach the end of the line for new petrol and diesel vehicles.”

The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate is pushing manufacturers to increase the proportion of electric vehicles they produce within the next few years, which Middleditch says should help further reduce the vehicle availability barrier.

“That could be why our latest barometer shows such promising results, so it will be interesting to see if the impact can be seen more clearly later in the year,” he added.

However, he acknowledged the ZEV Mandate changes could mean there is “less urgency” for fleets to make the switch as they have more time.

“Further hindering the switch is the need for reassurance that driving electric will not impact business productivity,” he continued. “Drivers and businesses need to know suitable chargers are available where and when they need them and need to have their questions answered on the practicalities of zero emissions driving for work.”