Driving an electric vehicle is now a viable option in an increasing number of European countries but some markets are decidedly more prepared than others.

For the first time, all countries in the Index have shown an improved score compared to last year

Research carried out by LeasePlan for its EV Readiness Index 2019 looked at the maturity of the EV market (also including plug-in hybrids), the maturity of EV infrastructure, government incentives and LeasePlan’s experience with EVs in each country.

The findings show that that Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria are now the best prepared countries in Europe for electric vehicle take-up.

And Finland (+7 places), Germany (+4) and Portugal (+4) improved their ranking significantly, as a result of better charging infrastructure, a higher percentage of EV registrations and more attractive government incentives.

However, for the first time, all countries in the Index have shown an improved score compared to last year, signalling increased EV readiness across the continent, although the rate of improvement varies significantly across Europe. Improvements in EV readiness were mainly due to an improvement in charging infrastructure and a greater availability of EV models, providing consumers with real choice.

Helped by growing model choice, EV market share is now in the mid-single digits in Portugal (3.1%), the Netherlands (5.1%), Finland (5.2%) and Sweden (7.6%), while Norway remains the undisputed leader with EVs accounting for 53% of all newly registered vehicles.

The Netherlands has the most public charging plugs available (83,196), followed by Germany (37,405) and France (34,558). When adjusted for population size, the top three countries are now the Netherlands (4.8 charging plugs per 1,000 inhabitants), Norway (4.5) and Luxembourg (1.9).

The analysis also found that Austria, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands scored the highest in terms of government support for EVs, including purchase subsidies, registration tax benefits, ownership tax benefits, company tax benefits and VAT benefits.

Tex Gunning, CEO of LeasePlan, commented: “Policymakers need to step up and take concerted action on vehicle taxation and infrastructure to make driving electric a viable option for everyone across Europe. Although our EV Readiness Index shows that electric driving is becoming a viable option in an increasing number of countries, we still have a long way to go before we get everyone driving electric. Transitioning to electric is one of the simplest things we can all do to help tackle climate change and everyone should be able to afford to go green!”