EVA England, BVRLA and IMDA launch EV Retail Ready training scheme for independent dealers

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.

The programme is free to access and completed online at each dealer's own pace, with four modules covering commercial viability, energy and charging, in-life costs and the customer journey, and is expected to take up to two hours per person, Transport+Energy reported. Individuals are credited on completion, and a dealership receives wider accreditation once all of its consumer-facing staff have completed the course. The programme was developed with support from Lex Autolease, mfldirect, the remarketing arm of Motability Operations, Octopus Electric Vehicles and Zenith.