Only 15% of cars and vans in the Central Government fleet are fully electric.
Despite pushing motorists towards electric vehicles (EVs) by increasing taxes and running costs on hybrids, petrol, and diesel cars, the Government is falling short of its own EV fleet goals.
The Government promised to electrify 25% of its central car fleet by 2022. In April, it further committed that all central government cars and vans—except for the Prime Minister’s Range Rovers—would be zero-emission by the end of 2027.
However, new research from WhatCar? shows only 15% of these vehicles are fully electric.
Freedom of Information requests covering 7,116 cars and vans across 21 government departments reveal that 22% of cars are fully electric, but only 4% of vans are, dragging the overall average down.
Many fleets have instead switched to lower-emission vehicles like plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and hybrids. Currently, 22% of the fleet are plug-in hybrids and 1% hybrids. Meanwhile, 3% still run on petrol and 59% on diesel.
The Treasury recently hiked the cost of owning and running hybrids—by up to 1,000% in some cases—to encourage a full switch to electric cars and meet the 2030 petrol and diesel phase-out targets.
Government fleets could apply for exemptions from the EV rule for security or operational reasons by 31 May, with decisions due by 31 July. The current figures exclude vehicles over 3,500kg, meaning exemptions are partly reflected.
Among fleets, 35% of cars are PHEVs, but there are no plug-in hybrid vans; 96% of vans remain diesel-powered.
Some departments perform better than others. For example, the DVLA reports 88% of its cars and 67% of its vans are electric. The DVSA, however, has only 11% electric cars and no electric vans.
National Highways has all 10 vans fully electric and 15% of cars electric, with 84% of cars as PHEVs and only 2% diesel.
The Ministry of Justice has 16% fully electric vehicles but mostly hybrids and PHEVs, with 44% hybrids and 52% PHEVs. It also has many diesel vans and some diesel cars.
Several departments, including Border Force and the Department for Work and Pensions, did not provide enough data.
This failure to meet targets comes as the Chancellor raised Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) sharply on hybrids. For example, from April 1, first-year VED for low-emission cars rose from £10 to £110 or more, hitting many plug-in and self-charging hybrids.
Cars like the Toyota Yaris hybrid now pay £330 in road tax, up from £165, because of higher CO2 emissions.
VED First-Year Rates for New Cars from 1 April 2025
| CO2 Emissions (g/km) | Petrol & Diesel Before | Petrol & Diesel After | Hybrid & Plug-in Hybrid Before | Hybrid & Plug-in Hybrid After |
| 0 | £0 | £10 | £0 | £10 |
| 1-50 | £10 | £110 | £0 | £110 |
| 51-75 | £30 | £130 | £20 | £130 |
| 76-90 | £135 | £270 | £125 | £250 |
| 91-100 | £175 | £350 | £165 | £330 |
These tax hikes, along with increasing company car tax rates and higher congestion charges, have made hybrids less attractive.
WhatCar? criticises the Government for penalising ordinary drivers with high taxes on low-emission vehicles while failing to fully green its own fleet.
Industry experts also highlight the lack of financial incentives. Grants for EV buyers have ended, and EV owners now pay VED and a costly supplement for cars over £40,000.
A leaked government letter suggests raising the expensive car threshold from £40,000 to £50,000, a small step to encourage EV adoption.
WhatCar? supports calls for stronger incentives, such as halving VAT on new EVs and reducing VAT on public EV charging, to make switching easier and more appealing for drivers.
