This month at a glance
Welcome to January’s Industry Insights blog, your monthly summary of all the sector-specific updates which will help you optimise your fleet.
Read on for news of the latest Government consultations, a new Toyota SUV, a new Chinese van brand, and the latest on vehicle registrations.
Latest consultations
On 24 December, the Government launched a consultation to finalise plans to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and to support the ZEV mandate. The consultation will run for 18 weeks, ending on the 18 February, and we’ll be working with customers to ensure their voices are heard.
Read more on thisCost of home charging falls
The average cost of charging an EV at home has fallen by 15% to 24p per kWh – the lowest since 2021. Electricity prices on the public network have also dropped, with the average cost now at 79p/kWh – 4p less than Q1 2024.
Read more on thisLocal electric vehicle infrastructure (LEVI) faces delays
The rollout of chargepoints funded by the LEVI has faced delays due to councils taking longer to develop their plans.
The £450m of LEVI funding is expected to see 100,000 charge points installed by local authorities, but only 10 projects have been approved to deliver before March 2025.
Stricter emissions testing plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs)
PHEVs will face more rigorous emissions testing in 2025. The changes aim to make the official CO2 emissions caused by PHEVs more representative of their real-world emissions.
Known as Euro6e-bis, the revised standards will apply to all PHEVs registered from 1 January 2025.
New Chinese van brand launched
A new Chinese van brand is due to launch in the UK early next year, bringing an electric LCV to the UK market.
Farizon – which is part of the Geely Group – has developed the vehicle for the European audience. The van will have a combined range of up to 225 miles, will be available in three lengths and three heights, and two battery sizes (67kWh and 83 kWh).
More information is due later in the year.
Toyota unveils new battery electric SUV
Toyota has unveiled its all-new battery electric SUV – the Urban Cruiser.
The SUV is part of Toyota’s growing zero emission vehicle range and will come with two battery options – 49kWh and 61kWh.
UK model range, specification and pricing will be announced at a later date.
Driver Certificate of Professional Competence revisions announced
Red Corporate Driver Training is expecting more truck drivers be attracted to UK due to revisions to the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) system.
Changes to the Driver CPC were agreed by Parliament in October, and took effect from 3 December, with the aims to:
- Increase flexibility – minimum length of a training course is being cut from 7 hours to 3.5 hours.
- Some aspects of the CPC qualification can now be completed via e-learning instead of being trainer led.
- Tackle the shortage of HGV drivers in the UK.
There is still a requirement to undertake 35 hours of training.
Read more
Vehicle registration updates
- While the new car market declined slightly by 0.2% (December 2024 vs 2023), new registrations were up 2.6% year on year, with 1.95m registrations in 2024.
- EVs have taken a record annual volume and market share (19.6%), but figures still below mandated levels.
Read more from Zenith
Events
Join us at the 2025 CV Show
On Demand Webinars
Spring Update 2025
Industry