A Brit's take on EU and UK's EV Journey

On a recent trip to Rome, I couldn’t help but take a keen interest in how our European neighbours are faring with electric vehicles (EVs). Given all the buzz around EVs in the UK, I was curious—are they miles ahead, or facing the same hurdles as us?

If you’re thinking of hiring an EV for a Roman adventure, you do have options—but mostly in the form of teeny-tiny city runarounds. Think Smart EQs, Fiat Topolinos, Renault Twizys, and XEV Yoyos. Perfect for navigating narrow streets but not exactly family-friendly. If you need something bigger, you’ll likely have to settle for ICE (internal combustion engine) cars. Not ideal if you're trying to do your bit for the planet! 

Now, here’s a little perk—electric cars can waltz into Rome’s restricted traffic zones (ZTL) any time of day, and you can park for free in blue-marked bays. The catch? You need a special permit from the local authorities, which involves paperwork and providing a copy of your vehicle registration. Not the most tourist-friendly system if you’re only there for a weekend.

Much like back home, Italy’s EV market is facing some familiar obstacles. Charging infrastructure isn’t quite where it needs to be, range anxiety is still a thing, and let’s not even get started on the price tags. Plus, if you’re thinking of buying second-hand, brace yourself—many models lose up to 50% of their value in less than three years. Ouch!

Despite the EU’s big push for electric adoption (they’ve set a 2030 deadline for phasing out petrol and diesel car production), sales are actually down year on year. Turns out, even with government mandates, convincing people to make the switch isn’t as easy as flicking a switch.

Over in the UK, things aren’t moving at lightning speed either. At the start of 2024, just 4.9% of cars on the road were fully electric. That said, nearly 20% of new cars sold last year were EVs, with predictions for 2025 hitting 21%. Progress? Yes. A full-on revolution? Not quite.

So, what’s holding people back? The same old culprits: high prices, limited range, and fears about charging. It seems the early adopters have taken the plunge, but the rest of the market is hanging back, waiting for… well, something. Meanwhile, car giants like Toyota, Mazda, and Subaru are still churning out petrol and diesel models, hedging their bets on the future of fuel.

If you’re after an affordable EV, you might have come across the Citroën AMI. It’s officially Britain’s cheapest EV, but there’s a catch (or several). It’s a two-seater with limited luggage space, has a top speed of 28 mph, and can only manage 43 miles on a full charge. Ideal for short city hops, but not much else. Still, its parent company Stellantis is promising to go all-electric by 2030—so watch this space.

Meanwhile, the UK government has been flip-flopping on its own deadlines. Initially, the ban on new petrol and diesel cars was set for 2035, but then Rishi Sunak moved it forward to 2030. And just to add to the confusion, Mini—one of Britain’s most beloved car brands—has pushed back its EV production in Oxford to 2026, thanks to uncertainty in the car industry.

So where does that leave us? One thing’s for sure—there’s no clear road ahead. Every week, carmakers announce new plans, only to change them days later. Between shifting policies, hesitant consumers, and ever-evolving technology, the EV transition is more of a slow crawl than a fast charge.

Will we all be driving electric in the next decade? Maybe. Maybe not. For now, all we can do is keep an eye on the road ahead—and keep watching this space!