11:28 am, September 16, 2025
Almost half of car dealers are backing the government’s new Electric Car Grant to provide a boost for EV sales, despite the fact only a handful of cars are set to qualify for the full discount.
That is according to new research from Startline Motor Finance, which has found that 48% of automotive retailers believe the initiative will offer a ‘useful boost’ for the electric car market.
The firm surveyed 60 dealerships and 301 consumers as part of its latest Used Car Tracker, with 43% of dealers saying that ‘anything that makes electric cars more accessible is a good idea’.
However 32% of respondents criticised the scheme for being too complicated, especially when it comes to how cars are placed into different bands.
A recent Car Dealer study found that just six cars are likely to qualify for the full £3,750 grant, with tough eco targets meaning that more than half of car makers in UK will not quality for any discounts at all.
Startline’s data shows that 20% of dealers think the scheme does not cover enough models, while 28% raised concerns about the impact the initiative could have on electric car residual values.
Reacting to the findings, Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: ‘There’s been quite a lot of noise in the motor industry about the electric car scheme, with some complaints that it doesn’t cover more vehicles and that only a few models receive the maximum grant.
‘Our research shows that around half of dealers generally see the initiative as a positive, probably in the sense that anything aiding electrification is a good thing, especially when it comes to promoting affordability.
‘However, there is some quite widespread scepticism, and it is especially notable that around a quarter of our respondents think similar funding is instead needed for electric used cars, suggesting they believe prices need to fall more in that part of the market.’
