10:48 am, September 18, 2023
Car dealers remain sceptical on the government’s 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars with the majority doubtful it will go ahead as planned.
That is according to a new poll by Close Brothers Motor Finance which found that 85 per cent of dealers don’t believe the ban will go ahead as planned.
The study of 157 dealers found that two thirds (66 per cent) believe the ban will be delayed beyond the current date.
Meanwhile, a further 18 per cent think that the eco measures will be scrapped altogether amid growing public displeasure.
Earlier this year, several leading dealers told us that the ban was becoming ‘increasingly unlikely’ to happen on time.
The findings have been revealed just two days after PM Rishi Sunak committed to the 2030 ban saying a change of policy would be ‘damaging’.
The government has been accused of sending ‘mixed messages’ on the issue in recent months with industry insiders putting the indecision down to ‘political point scoring’.
According to Close Brothers, more than half (54 per cent) of used dealers don’t currently stock alternative fuel vehicles.
Just one per cent of the dealers surveyed told the firm that they had plans to invest in charging points in the next six months.
Reacting to the findings, Lisa Watson, director of sales at Close Brothers Motor Finance, said: ‘We know that consumers have mixed emotions about the switch to electric; with only one in ten saying they are planning a pure electric car as their next purchase in recent research.
‘Dealers are joining them in their belief that change will not happen fast enough to meet the current plan to ban the sale of all new solely petrol and diesel vehicles in the UK in 2030.
‘There are still major perception barriers to overcome. Given the current economic climate and financial pressures faced by many UK households, the initial outlay costs are prohibiting more widespread EV adoption in the UK.
‘Costs combined with the lack of infrastructure is impacting consumer demand, which in turn impacts the stock that dealers are selling on their forecourts.
‘If the government wants to meet its 2030 target, then it will need to look how best to encourage, support and incentivise both motorists and dealers.’
