EVA England white paper: Transition to EVs must be “fair, affordable and practical for every household”
Wed 03 June 2026
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The EV drivers' organisation, EVA England, says that the EV transition will fail unless it works for every driver. In a new white paper, launched in Parliament, the association urges the Government to act on public charging costs, second-hand EV access and the risk of a "two-tier transition".
The white paper - 'Putting the Driver First' - co-sponsored by Autotrader, Zapmap and EVCI, includes evidence from 2,400 drivers.
It says that the transition must not only work for drivers with driveways, higher incomes, new-car budgets and easy access to reliable charging. Failure to broaden access could jeopardise the transition, it says: “unless Government closes the gap between those who can charge cheaply at home and those who cannot, the UK risks creating a two-tier EV transition.”
EVA England's survey findings show that there is a growing concern over public charging costs, reliability and access: with drivers without home charging in particular facing “a very different EV reality from those who can plug in on their driveway”.
It says: "Drivers without access to private charging are often pushed onto the public network, where costs can be far higher, reliability is inconsistent and the experience is still too often confusing or frustrating."
EVA England finds that 75% of drivers say public charging costs are now the biggest barrier to driving electric; 57% believed public charging should cost less than 45p/kWh – far closer to the rates available to drivers with home charging.
The white paper argues that Government must move beyond headline targets and raw chargepoint numbers, and “focus instead on whether the transition works in real life”.
The drivers' association is calling for a practical, driver-first plan that supports households currently blocked from switching, including lower and middle-income families, renters, leaseholders, disabled drivers and those without driveways.
Dr Vicky Edmonds, Chief Executive of EVA England, said: “EVs have already proved their place in Britain’s transport future. The real test now is whether that future works for everyone, or only for the households who already have the money, parking and charging access to make the switch easily.
“Right now, too many drivers are being asked to make the leap without a fair route across. Ministers need to cut the cost of public charging, build confidence in second-hand EVs, and remove the practical barriers facing renters, lower-income households and people without driveways.
“The transition to EVs, and net zero, will ultimately be delivered by drivers, and policy has to start with them.”
Ian Plummer, Chief Customer Officer at Autotrader, the UK’s largest automotive marketplace, added: “We must make sure the electric transition is accessible and equitable. Right now, there’s a real risk that certain groups of people are going to be left behind as we transition to a cleaner, and often cheaper, version of car ownership. It’s not yet clear how the Government will achieve this and we believe we need answers, a plan, a strategy, now, not later.”
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