Nearly half of dealers want scrappage scheme to replace ECG

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Almost 50% of retailers are in favour of new trade-in deal on both new and used EVs, with largest proportion backing one-year package

MA

Matt Allan

12 November 2026, 12:23 GMT · 2 min read

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A new report has delivered a clear picture of how car dealers feel about an electric car scrappage scheme, including how long it should last and how much it should be worth.

After previously finding that dealers were overwhelmingly in favour of such a trade-in incentive, Startline Motor Finance sought views on how it should be implemented.

It found that 45% of dealers think any trade-in incentive should apply to both new and used EVs while 28% were in favour of offering it only on new cars and 27% felt it should only apply to secondhand models.

The poll also revealed that while 53% were in favour of adding it to existing Government EV subsidies such as the Electric Car Grant, 47% thought a scrappage scheme should replace them.

Startline CEO Paul Burgess said that while any such scheme would be expensive, the research showed how those involved in EV sales believed policy could be used to help more buyers go electric.

Asked about the value and scope of a scrappage scheme, 45% said it should target petrol and diesel cars over 10 years old. Twenty-seven per cent thought cars should be at least 15 years old to qualify while 28% backed offering it on anything more than five years old.

Once again, the largest proportion (45%) were in favour of running the scheme for a year to boost EV sales. Opinions on the value of any trade-in ranged from £2,000 (8%) to at least £5,000 (20%), with 28% backing a £3,000 offer and, 35% supporting £4,000.

Burgess commented: “We’ve found quite a wide spread of opinions but, if you pick the most popular options for each response, you have a scheme subsidising both new and used electric models, with the cars submitted for scrappage over 10 years old, and an allowance of up to £4,000 available for 12 months.

“Whether the government can be persuaded to embrace an initiative with these kinds of parameters is open to question – it would be expensive at a time when budgets are tight. However, the research does hopefully provide useful pointers about how dealers believe official policy could encourage more people to go into EVs.”