Dealers back free chargers and cash incentives to boost used EV market

The majority of used car dealers believe that funding for free or low-cost home chargers would be the best way for the Government to boost used EV sales.

Most also backed suggestions of low-cost loans or government-backed grants to support more drivers to make the switch, according to the Startline Used Car tracker.

The monthly survey gathers dealers’ views on the health of the used car market and found that 60% think that support for free or low-cost home chargers would be the most effective government action to help the sector.

Used EV sales are already rising rapidly – up 45% in 2025 – but there have been calls for the secondhand sector to get similar support to the new car industry, where government grants of up to £3,750 are on offer.

Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “With larger volumes of electric stock appearing on the market every day, there have been persistent demands from the motor trade for help from the government to support used electric car sales and we wanted to build a more detailed picture of which measures retailers thought would be effective.

“The top answer is a free charger and, at a typical cost of around £700-£1,500, this could prove to be a cost-effective solution. Of course, some targeted help is already available for charger fitting, but it is quite specific and not as generous.

“There is also a wide range of support among dealers for other measures. Overall, the picture that emerges is they simply want help to make buying an electric car more financially attractive and charging it easier and lower cost.”

Half of dealers surveyed last month believed that a grant scheme similar to the Electric Car Grant should be introduced for used vehicles. Asked what a level of grant would be needed to persuade the buyer of a £15,000 car to choose electric over petrol, the most popular sum was £1,500, although over a quarter suggested up to £2,000 would be necessary.

Burgess noted: “This is a fairly typical price point for a used electric car at the moment and from a policy point of view, the important finding is perhaps the cost of an effective subsidy is higher than that of fitting a charger. Overall, government resources might be better directed towards free chargers than discounting the price of the car.”

Just over half of dealers (52%) also thought low- or zero-interest loans would help more drivers buy an electric car. An identical proportion favoured support for charging for drivers without private parking.

Almost a quarter (23%) believed reversing the planned pay-as-you-drive tax on EVs due to come in 2028 would also help drive interest in used EVs.