Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to help ensure electric cars remain an affordable option for those people planning to purchase a lower emitting vehicle.

The Government is committed to keeping the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) affordable for all consumers. Government grants have been in place for over a decade to help reduce the up-front purchase price of EVs. These grants remain available for the purchase of zero emission vans, trucks, wheelchair accessible vehicles, taxis and motorbikes.

Once purchased, EV owners benefit from lower operational and maintenance costs including favourable taxation policies.

The Government is also committed to ensuring EV charging remains affordable for all EV drivers. Most EV drivers charge overnight at home where they can access cheap and flexible tariffs. This is a trend that the Government expects will continue. The Government continues to support and encourage innovations to ensure that EV drivers, who do not have their own home chargers, can benefit from cheaper domestic electricity tariffs, such as cable gulleys and peer-to-peer charging schemes allowing owners to rent out their home chargepoints.