- Local authorities across the UK grew their electric fleets from 596 in 2017 to 2,851 in 2021
- Two fifths (40 per cent) of UK councils now operate electric vehicles
- Scotland (69 per cent), London (67 per cent) and Wales (64 per cent) have the highest proportion of councils operating an electric fleet
New research1 from Churchill Expert, the flexible fleet insurance provider, reveals the UK’s local authority electric vehicle fleet has grown almost fivefold in five years. In 2017, there were 596 electric vehicles in council fleets across Britain, but this grew 379 per cent to 2,851 by the end of 2021.
The overall number of councils operating electric vehicles within their fleet has almost doubled, from just 22 per cent five years ago to 40 per cent last year.
On a regional basis, Scotland has the highest proportion of councils operating an electric vehicle fleet, with over two thirds (69 per cent) of responding councils having one or more electric vehicles. This is an increase from 63 per cent in 2017. London (67 per cent) and Wales (64 per cent) complete the top three regions for adoption of electric vehicles in council fleets.
Vans have seen a steadier growth as part of the local authority electric fleet compared to cars, with numbers increasing by 1,243, from 277 in 2017 to 1,520 in 2021, a 449 per cent rise. In comparison, electric cars grew from 331 in 2017 to 1,393 in 2021, a 321 per cent rise. This means vans now account for over half (52 per cent) of electric vehicles across local authority fleets.
Table one: Number of local authority-run electric vehicles, by region
| Region | Electric cars | Electric vans | All electric vehicles | ||||||
| 2017 | 2021 | Increase | 2017 | 2021 | Increase | 2017 | 2021 | Increase | |
| South East | 27 | 87 | x 3.2 times | 13 | 186 | x 14.3 times | 40 | 273 | x 6.8 times |
| East of England | 5 | 12 | x 2.4 times | 3 | 6 | x 2.0 times | 8 | 18 | x 2.3 times |
| North West | 10 | 36 | x 3.6 times | 19 | 126 | x 6.6 times | 29 | 162 | x 5.6 times |
| East Midlands | 22 | 62 | x 2.8 times | 33 | 116 | x 3.5 times | 55 | 178 | x 3.2 times |
| London | 10 | 109 | x 10.9 times | 4 | 232 | x 58.0 times | 14 | 341 | x 24.4 times |
| Scotland | 159 | 856 | x 5.4 times | 97 | 544 | x 5.6 times | 256 | 1400 | x 5.5 times |
| South West | 46 | 81 | x 1.8 times | 21 | 59 | x 2.8 times | 67 | 140 | x 2.1 times |
| West Midlands | 1 | 8 | x 8.0 times | 0 | 8 | n/a | 1 | 16 | x 16.0 times |
| Wales | 14 | 64 | x 4.6 times | 45 | 50 | x 1.1 times | 59 | 114 | x 1.9 times |
| Yorkshire | 12 | 56 | x 4.7 times | 19 | 109 | x 5.7 times | 31 | 165 | x 5.3 times |
| North East | 23 | 18 | x 0.8 times | 9 | 71 | x 7.9 times | 32 | 89 | x 2.8 times |
| Northern Ireland | 2 | 4 | x 2.0 times | 14 | 13 | x 0.9 times | 16 | 17 | x 1.1 times |
| UK Total | 331 | 1,393 | x 4.2 times | 277 | 1,520 | x 5.5 times | 608 | 2,913 | x 4.8 times |
Source: Churchill Expert data, 2022
Nicola Richmond, Head of Churchill Expert Flexible Fleet Partnerships, said: “Our research shows how far local councils have come in the past five years with integrating electric vehicles to their fleets. But there are still many councils across the UK which haven’t invested in electric vehicles yet so there is still work to do ahead of the 2030 deadline. As councils replace vehicles in their fleets and access to charging infrastructure improves, we expect the number with electric cars and vans to increase rapidly.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1 FOIA request issued to local councils across the UK in April 2022. A total of 256 councils responded, of which 254 (64 per cent) provided usable data.
For further information please contact:
Unni Henry
Churchill Expert PR Manager
Email: unni.henry@directlinegroup.co.uk
About Churchill Expert
Churchill Expert specialises in providing easy access to flexible mobility insurance, as well as business and landlord insurance through partnerships. Part of the well know and much-loved Churchill brand, Churchill Expert is a trading name of insurance intermediary U K Insurance Business Solutions Limited (UKIBS) which has been operating since 2004 and provides NIG policies underwritten by U K Insurance Limited (UKI). Along with the insurer U K Insurance Limited (UKI), U K Insurance Business Solutions Limited is part of the Direct Line Group.
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