Drivers reluctant to switch despite big discounts, according to Auto Trader data

Tradespeople are snubbing electric vans (EVs) amid high prices and fears over a shortage of charging points, according to Auto Trader data.

The online marketplace’s data shows the cost of new electric vans are as much as £20,000 more than diesel vans, with the most expensive Iveco model costing £58,000.

Van makers are applying discounts of as much as 26% to new vans to spur demand but tradespeople remain reluctant to commit, figures show.

Despite the more affordable cost of used e-vans – with many brands cheaper than diesel equivalents – used EVs are taking 12 days longer to sell on the Auto Trader platform.

Interest also remains low because of the lower range of electric vans – typically less than half the 500-600 mile range of diesels – and a shortage of charging places big enough to accommodate them.

Under the Zero Emissions Mandate, 16% of all vans sold this year must be electric but their current share of the market is 8% despite a softening of the rules earlier this year.

According to MPs, the UK is on track to reach the 300,000 public charge points target by 2030 but nearly half - 43% - are in London and the South East, giving another reason for tradesmen to snub e-vans.

There are more than five million vans on UK roads but e-vans account for less than 2% of that total at the moment. There’s a confidence crisis among tradespeople in going electric. Prices of used vans are coming down, but if we want to encourage white van men and women to go green, we need more charging points, spread more evenly around the country. Vans account for more than one in eight of every vehicle on UK roads, so we need to make sure that a similar share of our public charging points are big enough to use them.

Tom Roberts, Commercial Vehicle expert at Auto Trader

One in 10 workers – 3.4 million people – rely on a van for their job across a broad range of industries, from engineering and construction to emergency and rescue services.

Van-friendly charge points are still too scarce, and without the ability to reserve chargers or access simple, reliable payment systems, operators face unnecessary downtime. Addressing these challenges is critical to unlocking a cleaner, more efficient future for van fleets.

Toby Poston, BVRLA Chief Executive