More than a third of British homes do not have off-street parking, meaning they cannot rely on home charging to top up their vehicles. Instead they need to rely on public chargers, which are notoriously expensive.
The typical cost of charging at home is 24 pence per kilowatt hour (kWh), compared with an average of 80 pence per kWh at public chargers, according to data provider Zap Map.
For many electric cars, that amounts to a difference of more than £20 for a full charge.
The SMMT said new incentives should be brought in to entice people to go electric. It has suggested temporarily halving VAT on new EV purchases, combined with a cut in the VAT levied on public charging from 20pc to 5pc.
Doing so would “drive up demand, putting more than a quarter of a million EVs on the road instead of petrol or diesel cars over the next three years”, the trade body said.
Manufacturers argue there has been a continued lack of incentive for drivers to go electric after the “plug in grant” for EVs, which previously allowed buyers to knock £2,500 off the price of their purchase, was withdrawn in June 2022.
Marques including Tesla have been cutting their prices this year in an effort to boost flagging sales, yet interest continues to wane.
Electric cars still cost significantly more than a similar diesel or petrol model, and insurance premiums are higher. Figures from comparison website Compare the Market show the average driver pays £740 to insure an EV, compared to £400 for a petrol car.
Research from Auto Trader earlier this year found that a motorist buying a £50,000 electric car could expect to lose £24,000 in value over three years, while a similarly priced petrol car would lose only £17,000.
Under government net zero rules, at least 22pc of new cars sold by a manufacturer this year must be zero emission. The threshold will rise annually to 100pc by 2035.
Carmakers face fines for failing to hit the targets, levied at £15,000 per vehicle above the threshold.