EV Readiness Index 2021

In general, it has become easier to choose and drive an electric car throughout Europe, but the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom have the best conditions for the transition to electric cars.

That is the result of LeasePlan's annual EV Readiness Index 2021, which is an in-depth analysis of EV readiness in a number of European countries based on three factors: the number of registered electric cars, charging infrastructure and government incentives.

With an EV readiness of 23 points, Denmark enters a 13th place together with Switzerland. Despite an increase of 1 point compared to 2020, Denmark moves one place back on the list, and Denmark, like previous years, is far behind our Nordic neighbors. Norway is in 1st place with a score of 42 ahead of the Netherlands with 38 points and the United Kingdoim with 33 points, while Sweden scores 29 points and a 5th place.

LeasePlan Denmark CEO, Michael Olsen, is happy about general positive development, but at the same time he believes that Denmark should be higher on the list:

"Our analysis shows that the conditions for choosing and driving an electric car in Europe are better than ever before. It has simply become more attractive than it was before. Unfortunately, we can also see that Denmark has not moved at all since last year, and we are still far behind compared to our neighboring countries," he says.

According to LeasePlan's global CEO, Tex Gunning, charging infrastructure is crucial for how fast the conversion to electric cars can actually happen, and he believes that the development is too slow:

"Our EV Readiness Index shows that while electric driving is more affordable than ever across Europe, public charging infrastructure is still woefully lacking. We know from experience that lack of charging infrastructure is a significant barrier in terms of getting people to choose an electric car. Right now, Europe is failing to deliver the infrastructure required for the clean mobility revolution. Leaders and policymakers in every single one of the 22 countries in this Index need to step up and invest in a universal, affordable and sustainable charging infrastructure before it’s too late – the climate emergency can’t wait."

LeasePlan Denmark's CEO, Michael Olsen, ties Denmark's position with the high price level and limited selection of electric cars on the market - combined with political plans that have not yet been realized. But he hopes conditions will change in 2021:

"Now there is a political plan that makes it more attractive to choose electric cars instead of petrol or diesel cars. That makes us believe that 2021 and 2022 will be the years where we in Denmark can show that we turn ideas into actions and get even more people to choose an electric car, as the selection of electric cars becomes larger," he says.