August 7, 2025 | Rhiannon Day
E-mobility in the UK is evolving fast, with legislation, new incentives, and technological advances all reshaping the road ahead. For businesses operating in or around this sector, keeping pace is essential. Your marketing and communications strategy must reflect the latest developments and resonate with a broad and diverse audience: fleet operators, investors, drivers, journalists, and even policymakers.
From the return of driver incentives to the rollout of autonomous vehicle regulation, changes bring both opportunities and challenges. They demand strategic messaging, delivered to the right people, at the right time, in the right way. In this blog, we explore the sector’s hot topics, and what our net zero and mobility experts think of them.
Infrastructure funding and growth
The UK’s EV charging infrastructure has experienced substantial expansion in 2025, with around 10,500 new public chargers added to the total of 84,000 now operational. The government has committed £63 million in new funding for EV charging infrastructure. This includes £25 million for local authority charging schemes and dedicated grants for depot charging infrastructure supporting commercial vehicle electrification.
“The price and availability of chargers have been two of drivers’ biggest concerns around EVs,” said Resonates’ head of corporate affairs, Justin Heath. “As incentives like this help to balance out prices between EV and ICE vehicles, there will no doubt be an increase in audience sensitivity towards messaging around the total cost of ownership.”
Driver incentives reawakened
The government has reintroduced electric vehicle purchase incentives, offering up to £3,750 off eligible electric cars priced under £37,000. The funding will be available until the end of the 2028/29 financial year, helping make new EVs more affordable. Consumers, however, won’t get the same reduced prices for all vehicles, as the funding is tiered based on manufacturers’ sustainability credentials. This means that many Chinese vehicles, which are especially popular with fleet managers, won’t qualify for the deduction. Prior to this announcement, BYD’s fleet sales had increased 643% compared to the same time last year.
“The tweaked incentive scheme is a shot in the arm for an industry that has suffered from the perception of high entry costs,” said Justin Heath. “Again, this development plays to messaging around total cost of ownership, but it could also support European and UK manufacturers seeking to regain lost market share.”
Automation
The UK is on the brink of significant changes around self-driving vehicles. The UK Automated Vehicles Act 2024 provides a new framework for the safe introduction of autonomous vehicles. There are still interesting unknowns around secondary legislation, though.
One example of this is permitting and piloting for self-driving taxis and buses. In July, tThe government launched a consultation on the automated passenger services (APS) permitting scheme, which will help shape the regulation of self-driving taxis, private hire vehicles, and bus services. Once completed, the hope is it will give businesses the ability to begin driverless commercial passenger services in the second half of 2027. Meanwhile, the government has also brought forward commercial pilot schemes for self-driving taxi and bus services, giving firms the ability to pilot small-scale services without a safety driver for the first time. By this time next year, we may already start seeing self-driving taxis on the road.
“Self-driving taxis are an interesting option for consumers, and could prove a very profitable business,” said Resonates account director Hannah Thame. “The technology is fascinating , so there’s no shortage of news interest here.”
“But driverless vehicles can be contentious, and experience from the US shows the negative publicity that accidents or tech-gone-rogue stories generate. Stakeholders need to be prepped for questions on law and ethics, and ready with appropriate messaging and communication if faced with technology challenges or consumer backlash.”
Whatever your take on mobility, this is a time of excitement, ideas and energy. Make sure you’re heard above the traffic – speak to Resonates about stories and messages that will help you plot a route to success. Get in touch, or find us at CENEX – Hall 3, pod C3-622d
