EVA England, BVRLA and IMDA launch EV Retail Ready training scheme for independent dealers
The free online accreditation covers charging, in-life costs and the customer journey, after EVA England survey data found only a quarter of used EV buyers rated their dealership handover as good or excellent, compared with 34% of new car buyers.
A new industry initiative called EV Retail Ready launched this week, developed by the BVRLA, IMDA and EVA England, offering independent dealers free, practical training designed to help them confidently stock and sell used electric vehicles.
The programme covers commercial viability, charging and energy, in-life costs and the customer journey. It takes around two hours, is completed online at a dealer's own pace, and leads to individual and dealership-wide accreditation. Dealers taking part will also get access to ClearWatt's EV Explorer tool, which provides vehicle-specific information on real-world range, battery health and charging, giving sales staff something concrete to show customers rather than relying on headline lab figures.
EVA England said the launch follows its white paper Putting the Driver First, which called for more franchised and independent dealerships and service centres to make use of approved industry training programmes to improve the information given to prospective EV drivers at the point of sale and on service.
The organisation pointed to findings from its annual driver survey, Steer the Conversation, in which roughly two-thirds of EV drivers rated their handover or service centre experience as good or excellent, broadly comparable to petrol and diesel drivers. However, EV buyers were more likely than petrol and diesel buyers to rate their experience as poor or very poor, at 12% against 8%. Satisfaction was notably lower among second-hand buyers, described by EVA England as a growing route into EV ownership: only a quarter of used EV buyers rated their experience as good or excellent, against 34% of new car buyers.
Around 30% of EV drivers surveyed said a lack of clear information about owning an EV was one of the greatest barriers stopping more people switching to EVs, putting it level with purchase cost as a concern, while only 3% of non-EV drivers flagged information as a barrier.
EVA England said EVs made up 25.6% of new car registrations last month, and that a growing number of EVs are now entering the used market as leases end, adding pressure on independent dealers who do not have the same manufacturer training support as franchised networks while being asked to absorb that supply and field customer questions.
Survey respondents cited by EVA England described mixed experiences at dealerships. One said: "They had no idea what they were selling and tried to convert me back to fossil fuels." Another described a more positive encounter, saying the dealership went through everything and spent as long as needed to make them confident regarding charging, range and vehicle care.
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