When the Government first announced that they were thinking of introducing green number plates for zero emission vehicles and EVs I must admit I did initially think it looked a bit gimmicky.
But by the time they were introduced in December 2020 I had changed my mind and in fact ordered one for my new EV. Now I’m pleased and proud to have a green stripe on my number plate.
I have noticed that some people do stare at the plate trying to work out what it stands for and others have asked me about the green plate.
However, I think these plates will become a more common site as it is projected that electric vehicles will make up a quarter of new car sales in 2025.
These plates indicate there is now a growing range of cars that are going electric and sends out a message that this is becoming the new normal. I think this is important to help reassure those who still question whether EVs will become mainstream. They are and they will.
To encourage a faster uptake, incentives must remain in place to reduce the purchase price of EVs and home chargers. Radical moves like cutting VAT on certain EV models would also speed the uptake.
The AA is fully prepared as the number one breakdown provider for EV drivers with more trained patrols to work on EVs, an innovative towing solution that gets EVs quickly to a charging point and comprehensive EV insurance which covers cables.
We did a survey of almost 15,000 drivers and found that almost one third (31%*) don’t know what green number plates represent so some more communication is obviously required.
Six in ten (63%) did correctly state that the green slash on the numberplate indicated that this was a zero-emission vehicle. Younger drivers were more likely to correctly identify this (74% of 18-24 yr olds) compared to the over 65s (58%).
Drivers in Wales (59%) and Northern Ireland (54%) were least likely to give the correct answer, whilst those in London, perhaps due to the high density of EVs, were most likely to get it right (66%).
I did though find it quite amusing looking at some of the 6% who gave an incorrect answer. The most popular misconceptions were:
- 274 people said it denotes being allowed to park in green zones
- 53 people thought the driver was an Irish National
- 36 people said it meant the driver was a member of the Green Party
- 35 people said it meant the driver voted Brexit
So maybe it is a good job that I got green plates as I do have an Irish passport...