Growing concern among fleets over EV costs, Europcar finds

Europcar has found that concern is growing among fleets over electric vehicle (EV) costs so far in 2026.

41% reported concern over the cost of purchasing, maintaining and financing an EV in Q1 2026, up from 36.7% in Q4 2025.

The survey also found that concerns around charging infrastructure were up slightly, to 29.5% from 28.6%.

However, fleets were less concerned about choice and availability of EV models, down from 15.9% to 13.5%.

Respondents said that concerns over resistance to EVs were less of an issue in Q1 2026, with 10.8% citing it, down from 13% in Q4 2025.

Tom Middleditch, head of B2B marketing and sustainability spokesperson at Europcar said: “Our latest data shows that financial considerations and confidence in EV technology continue to shape purchasing decisions and fleet scale-up.

“With mixed messages from Government over the last few months regarding taxes on EVs, and the increase in benefit-in-kind (BiK) tax from April, it seems that cost is becoming a bigger factor in holding business buyers back.

“The uncertainty over the detail of a tax on mileage of EVs and no clarity on timing is undoubtedly creating a question in people’s minds.