Government ‘falling short’ on its electric fleet commitment

Just 15% of cars and vans operated by the Government are pure electric – substantially short of its own fleet electrification targets, new research suggests.

More than a fifth of its car fleet (22%) are currently electric vehicles (EVs), while just 4% of vans are currently zero emission.

In 2017, the Government made a pledge to electrify a quarter (25%) of the central Government car and van fleet by 2022, which it achieved in 2023, and for it to be fully electric by the end of 2027.   

Government departments and their arms-length bodies were given until the end of last month (May), to apply for an exemption from the 2027 fleet ban on petrol and diesel cars and vans. 

Arms-length bodies within the scope of the agreement, include fleets operated by National Highways and the Environment Agency.

Devolved administrations, local authorities, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories are not within scope of the commitment.

The Department for Transport (DfT) published further guidance on the fleet commitment last year, including a request to exempt vehicles. 

The new figures already take into account vehicles that are likely to gain exemption from the EV commitment, according to What Car? which obtained the figures through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

This is despite the previous Government saying it expected to meet its 2027 target for its central car fleet to be fully zero emission. 

Some Central Government fleets have done well. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) says that 88% of its cars and 67% of its vans are EVs. However, at the Ministry of Justice almost 100% of its vans are diesels and only 16% of its cars are EVs.

Fuel split of all cars and vans on central Government fleet

What Car? issued Freedom of Information requests to 21 Central Government departments, gaining data on 7,116 cars and vans. 

DfT disputes What Car?'s claims, labelling them "incorrect". A report from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), published earlier this year, stated that almost a quarter (23%) of the Government car fleet were zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) and it was improving its data relating to zero-emission vans. 

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