If you have ordered an existing model in the past months, it’s unlikely you will pick it up at the dealer’s before January.

If you have put your name down for a model that is yet to be launched, you will probably have to wait until the end of 2020. What’s going on?

Getting electric vehicles to market has always been troublesome for Western OEMs. From the first-gen Renault Zoé to the Tesla Model 3 and the Audi e-tron: they have all arrived on the market later than planned. Somehow, manufacturers have a tendency of promising more than they can deliver, perhaps underestimating the challenges behind developing an EV and getting the supply chain and factories ready to build them.

It seems that the Asian manufacturers have been better at managing this. It should hardly come as a surprise that in the land of affordable EVs with a decent range, it’s the Koreans and Japanese that rule. Hyundai Ioniq and Kona, Kia Niro, Nissan Leaf: they head the electric vehicle sales charts in Europe. They give the nearly pre-historic, totally obsolete VW e-Golf and equally retirement-deserving BMW i3 a run for their money.

Super credits

Whichever mass-production electric model you may have ordered in the past months, chances are you won’t see your EV arrive at the dealer’s before the first months of 2020. The same goes for the premium crossovers that go by the name Audi e-tron, Jaguar I-Pace or Mercedes EQC, incidentally. Is battery supply the issue, or is there more at play?

There are indeed only a handful of suppliers – mainly Chinese, Korean and Japanese – on the global lithium ion cell market and they are calling the shots. If you want cells as an OEM, you either pay a hefty price, or you wait until prices come down. The longer you wait, the cheaper you can buy, essentially. Guess which option most OEMs choose?

There is another, more important thing obstructing the delivery of EVs: the so-called super credits. Starting in 2020, every vehicle that emits less than 50g/km counts double in the calculation of an OEMs weighted average CO2 emissions. The average target is 95g/km and needs to be reached by 2021. No wonder that OEMs and their importers are postponing the delivery of as many EVs as possible.

Read more: Fleet Europe

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Plug-in hybrids entered a higher gear in Europe again, so the joint market share of BEVs/PHEVs went up to 4%.

While the Chinese and North American markets are experiencing (kind of temporary) a decrease of plug-in electric car sales, Europe moves forward with healthy growth rate.

In October, some 48,219 plug-ins were sold (up 46% year-over-year) according to EV Sales Blog, which notes also that PHEVs increased 75% almost matching BEVs, which increased 26%.

Together, all plug-ins hold roughly 4% of sales for the month, which is quite an achievement.

After ten months of 2019, sales amounted to over 429,250 at an average of 3.2% market share (2.0% or two-thirds for BEVs).

Read more: Inside EVs

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While Benefit-in-Kind has always worked in the favour of electric and plug-in hybrid models, it’s about to get much better for these vehicles from March 2021.

That’s because from 2020, the government is completely scrapping Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) for all-electric models – meaning that there has never been a better time to get behind the wheel of an EV as your company car.

Let’s have a look at the five best options available today.

Nissan Leaf

As one of the UK’s most popular electric cars on sale, the Sunderland-built is clearly doing something right to appeal to buyers. But aside from private buyers, the Leaf has long had lots of appeal to companies – featuring in fleets across the country.

And from April 2020, that appeal will elevate dramatically when BiK drops from its current 16 per cent rate. So, while someone in the 20 per cent tax bracket will currently pay £1,048 per year in company car tax, that will soon drop to zero.

BMW i3

If you want to convey a more upmarket image from your company car, the funky and unique BMW i3 is a superb choice. From its zippy powertrain through to its interior made from recycled materials, this is a fantastic EV.

And from next year it will be an excellent electric car to choose, whereby the average annual company car tax bill for an i3 will drop from £1,129 per year to absolutely nothing. It’s worth noting that, as with all the other models here, the zero per cent BiK applies to those paying tax at 20 and 40 per cent as well.

Audi e-tron

If your company is a bit more generous, or you need something a bit larger than the models here, the premium Audi e-tron SUV is a superb choice. Offering seating for five, a generous boot and a wonderfully techy interior, this is a true statement model.

Read more: Car Keys

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New reports from Environmental Defense Fund Europe and Green Alliance suggest the incoming government should prioritise steps to bring down electric vehicle costs

(LONDON – 11 November, 2019) Electric vehicles (EVs) can not only help clean the air and cut carbon emissions but also save millions of pounds for people with lower incomes, if the incoming Government takes proactive steps to bridge the affordability gap between EVs and fossil-fuel vehicles. According to two reports released today by Environmental Defense Fund Europe (EDFE) and by Green Alliance in conjunction with Frontier Economics and Element Energy, with targeted action, lower-income households could save nearly £350 million in total every year, with cost savings reaching £3,000-£5,000 per household over the time of owning a car.

Compared to petrol and diesel cars, EVs have zero combustion emissions, and are cheaper on a total cost of ownership basis. Yet, the reports show there are significant barriers preventing low-income households from accessing the EV market. By putting in place targeted policies, the Government can ensure those on lower incomes can benefit from electric transport sooner, as well as speed up the improvement of air quality.

“People with lower incomes bear the brunt of pollution from cars, while being least able to afford a clean alternative,” said Baroness Bryony Worthington, Executive Director of EDFE. “The good news is the Government has several tools at its fingertips to bring down the cost of electric vehicles and make clean transport more inclusive.”

Households in the lowest two income deciles made up just 4% of EV owners from 2015-2017, but more than 10% of internal combustion engine vehicle owners. On the other hand, those in the top 20% income range buy over half of the EVs sold annually, but only around a quarter of internal combustion engine vehicles.

Read more: EDF

ELECTRIC car sales were up again in October with a massive 151.8 percent boost from figures released 12 months ago as consumers jump to purchase eco-friendly vehicles.

New electric car registrations were boosted from just 1,256 in October 2018 to 3,162 last month. New sales of mild hybrid electric vehicles saw an incredible 378.1 percent rise in October 2019 compared to last year as sales of hybrid electric vehicles were also up 28.9 percent.

Battery electric vehicle sales are now up 125.1 percent year-on-year with almost 30,000 models sold and registered so far in 2019.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) data also revealed alternative fuelled vehicles now made up 9.9 percent of the overall UK car sales this month in a new record.

A total of 14,231 registrations beat the previous market share record of 6.9 percent.

Plug-in hybrid sales were down a minor 1.7 percent, while support for traditional vehicles fell away.

Last month’s data showed petrol vehicle sales were down 3.2 percent on figures from October 2018.

Diesel sales are in terrible decline and plummeted to a 28.3 percent reduction on data from twelve months ago. The drop is the 31st consecutive month diesel sales have been in negative figures.

Read more: Express