Everyone’s going electric – and hotels need to catch up

By Andy Gray, Director, Go Zero

The company car is making a comeback. After years of decline, HMRC figures show that there are now more than 840,000 company cars on UK roads, an increase of 80,000 in the last tax year alone. What’s different this time is the fuel mix.

Thanks to generous Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rates and strong corporate sustainability targets, the majority of growth is in electric vehicles. While only one in ten private buyers chose a battery-electric car in 2024, fleets and company car schemes accounted for almost all of the record 19.6% market share of BEVs last year.

For employees, the appeal is obvious. From April this year, the BiK rate on zero-emission cars rose from two to three percent – still far lower than the 25–37% many petrol and diesel models attract. With that advantage locked in, plus salary sacrifice schemes making EVs affordable to a much wider pool of staff, the corporate transition to electric is now firmly underway.

In the first quarter of 2025, eight percent of new light commercial vehicles were electric, up from six percent the year before.

It isn’t just cars. Electric vans are following the same path. In the first quarter of 2025, eight percent of new light commercial vehicles were electric, up from six percent the year before. For businesses with large numbers of field-based engineers or service staff, the shift is no longer hypothetical – it is already here.

This matters because business travel doesn’t end at the depot or driveway. When company car drivers or engineers with electric vans stay away from home overnight, the place they stay becomes the place they need to charge. Government guidance is clear that most drivers rely on overnight charging at home. When they are away, their “home for the night” is a hotel. If that hotel can’t offer an EV charger, the driver’s day becomes more complicated, and the employer starts looking for alternative accommodation.

The trouble is that hotel provision is lagging far behind demand. Zapmap data shows that while the UK now has more than 84,000 public charging devices, only around 4,800 of them are associated with hotels. Industry estimates suggest that just one in five hotels offer any form of charging at all. That leaves a huge mismatch between what fleets need and what hospitality provides.

And this isn’t a soft benefit. Booking platforms now allow travellers to filter results for properties with EV charging. For corporates managing hundreds of overnight stays, those filters are increasingly being applied as standard. If your hotel isn’t visible when that filter is switched on, you’re not even in the conversation – no matter how strong your room rate or facilities.

For hotels, the opportunity is obvious. By installing reliable overnight chargers, properties can secure corporate accounts, attract higher-value business travellers, and boost on-site spending as drivers stay put while their vehicles recharge. For fleets, it means smoother logistics and happier employees who can start the day with a full battery rather than chasing a rapid charger before their first appointment.

At Go Zero, we work with hotels across the UK to bridge this gap. Our role is to make EV charging a commercial asset rather than a technical headache: from site surveys and design, to installation, smart software, and long-term maintenance. The hotels we support don’t just install chargers – they integrate them into their business model, ensuring corporate guests return because they know their car or van will be ready to go in the morning.

The UK fleet sector is doing the heavy lifting on electrification. Company cars and vans are going electric at pace, and that changes what drivers need when they travel. Hotels that recognise this shift and invest in EV charging now will win the loyalty – and the bookings – of Britain’s new generation of electric business travellers.

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 Want to electrify your parking bays? Get in touch with our team, and they can advise you on your available options! Call +44 (0) 204 586 1030