If you're thinking about buying an electric car for the first time – or swapping your existing EV for something new – now could be the ideal time as manufacturers claim they are pouring billions into discounts to hit government sales targets. 

Competition among carmakers has never been fiercer, with manufacturers offering generous finance packages and deposit contributions to tempt buyers into their electric models – only according to the UK's motor industry body, the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders), these bargain deals can't last forever.

Speaking ahead of the SMMT's annual summit, chief executive Mike Hawes admitted carmakers are now spending "billions more subsidising" electric vehicle sales because demand isn't yet keeping pace with the government's zero emission vehicle mandate.

Under the government's ZEV mandate, manufacturers must ensure an increasing proportion of the new cars they sell are zero emission – which critics argue is higher than the current natural demand. So many brands have chosen to offer attractive incentives rather than risk missing those targets and facing potential fines.

“The level of discounting... seems massive," Mike Hawes said, estimating manufacturers are spending around £5 billion a year supporting EV sales. He added that companies are even discounting brand new models "from day one", which is something that's unusual in the car industry, where discounts typically come much later in a model's life.

The SMMT wants ministers to ease the pace of the ZEV mandate, arguing that sales targets are running ahead of what consumers are currently buying. Hawes stressed the industry isn't asking for the policy to be scrapped, but for what he called "a reality check."

For buyers, though, it raises an interesting question. If manufacturers no longer have to work quite so hard to hit those targets, could some of today's exceptional EV deals begin to disappear?

Not necessarily – Hawes was also quick to acknowledge that competition remains intense, particularly with more Chinese brands entering the UK market. So while the days of manufacturers collectively spending billions to boost EV sales may not last forever, buyers should still benefit from a fiercely competitive market with more choice than ever before.

Of course, selling more electric cars is only one part of the UK's transition to EVs. Building the charging infrastructure drivers need is just as important, and changing the ZEV mandate could have unintended consequences for the companies investing billions of pounds in that network.

Charge point operators argue that clear government targets have given investors the confidence to keep expanding the UK's public charging network. If those targets are softened, could investment slow just as Britain needs more chargers?

Hawes acknowledged the importance of charging infrastructure, saying: "We need those investments to take place." But he argued investors ultimately need confidence in the overall volume of EV sales rather than the percentage targets themselves. 

The charging industry takes a different view. Delvin Lane, CEO of InstaVolt, told Electrifying: "Drivers are increasingly choosing electric because the economics stack up, the charging experience is improving and there are more great vehicles to choose from than ever before.

"The industry should recognise that shift in consumer demand and seize the opportunity it presents. The UK has become one of Europe's strongest EV markets, supported by billions of pounds of private investment in charging infrastructure.

"The focus now should be on accelerating that momentum, not resisting it. Give consumers confidence, give businesses certainty and the investment will continue to follow."

Ultimately, that's the challenge facing ministers. Carmakers say today's sales targets are forcing them into unsustainable levels of discounting, while charging companies warn that weakening the policy could undermine confidence to keep investing in the infrastructure drivers rely on.

Whatever happens to the ZEV mandate over the coming months, car buyers will be after the same outcome: affordable electric cars, a growing choice of models and confidence that the charging network will continue expanding just as quickly as the number of EVs on Britain’s roads.