Netherlands, Norway and UK best prepared for EV revolution

Improvements in EV readiness were due to a combination of the increased availability of public charging infrastructure (up 73%) and a more beneficial taxation regime for plug-in vehicle drivers in many countries. On average, electric vehicle drivers pay 40% less tax than drivers of internal combustion-engined cars, although in Romania and Slovakia EV drivers actually pay more tax.

The index was published ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Across the continent, EV registrations were up around 60% on average.

LeasePlan’s EV Readiness Index 2020 analyses the preparedness of 22 European countries for the electric vehicle revolution, based on four factors: EV registrations, the maturity of EV infrastructure, government incentives and LeasePlan’s experience with EVs in each country.

Tex Gunning (pictured), CEO of LeasePlan, said: “Although our EV Readiness Index shows that electric driving is becoming a viable option in an increasing number of countries, we still have a long way to go before we get everyone driving electric.

“Millions of European’s still live in countries where public charging infrastructure is woefully inadequate or in which they pay more taxation than drivers of fossil fuel cars. Transitioning to electric is one of the simplest things we can all do to help tackle climate change and everyone should be able to afford to go green.

“Policymakers must therefore step up and continue to invest in public charging infrastructure and to incentivise EV uptake until electric becomes the common sense choice for all drivers.”

The 22 countries included in the LeasePlan EV Readiness Index 2020 are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

LeasePlan has committed itself to achieving net zero emissions from its total fleet by 2030 and is a founding partner of The Climate Group’s EV100 initiative, a global business initiative designed to fast-track the uptake of EVs and infrastructure among the world’s leading corporations.