Consumer confidence in battery health and a low cost loan scheme for used EVs would do more for electric vehicle adoption than the electric car grant, according to the results of a new survey. 

The polling was done by the AA and Electrifying.com, asking non-EV drivers their perceptions of going electric.  

Just 3% of potential EV buyers feel confident about buying a used EV, down from 8% in recent years and despite the healthy flow of secondhand electric cars arriving on the market – 38% of respondents said they be more likely to get a used EV if it came with a battery health certificate. 

A survey by YouGov in 2025 found that battery safety and longevity were the chief concerns for used buyers who weren’t sure whether to go ahead with an electric purchase. 

The Scottish government brought in an interest free loan scheme for EV purchases in 2011 that has provided more than £230m in loans. Electrifying founder Ginny Buckley thinks it would be a sensible option to boost secondhand electric sales across the whole of the UK.

“I’ve long argued that the real engine of the EV transition is the used market, yet policy continues to focus almost exclusively on new cars,” she said. “If the government is serious about accelerating uptake, it needs to stop overlooking the used market and start supporting it properly. Practical measures like requiring standardised independent battery health checks, better consumer education and access to low-cost finance would do far more to unlock demand than continuing to prioritise new car sales.”

Some 44% of drivers say incentives towards the purchase of a used EV – like Scotland’s interest free loans – would make them more likely to buy one. AA president Edmund King said that an increase in used EV sales "would be a game changer".