'I’m a car expert - I know what motorists want at this General Election and it’s not EVs'

General Election campaigning is underway and motoring is likely to be a key issue forcing its way onto the national agenda ahead of polling day.

Both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer will have to weigh up how to please the UK’s 50 million motorists with net zero and electric vehicles looking like the most likely car battleground.

On current polling, Labour looks set for Downing Street on July 5, which could radically change the UK's motoring policy.

This is the party that condemned the Conservative's move to delay the petrol and diesel car ban from 2030 to 2035 back in September and has since vowed to reinstate it.

In fact, a Labour report from October 2023 into the automotive industry promised to accelerate domestic battery-making capacity, fix charging infrastructure and develop clear battery standards.

That all sounds wonderful, but politicians are forgetting that electric cars are the exception and not the rule. Yes, it's great to have one eye on the future and long-term planning for transition to clean energy is certainly needed.

But, market share for electric vehicles was just 16.5 percent last year meaning more than four-fifths of UK motorists still own petrol and diesel vehicles.

A poll from YouGov published at the back end of last year found a majority of British road users (54 percent) are unlikely to consider purchasing an EV.

Although with rising fuel prices sweeping forecourts, increased taxation and a cost of living crisis, where is the immediate short-term help families are craving?

The annual threat of fuel duty rises has not come to fruition for over a decade with the Conservatives freezing rates again at the Spring Budget. 

But, with data from RAC Fuel Watch showing petrol and diesel rates up by 10p per litre alone in 2024, where are the pledges?

Could the Tories or Reform UK be offering to keep fuel duty rates frozen over the course of the next Parliament or, even better, lower rates completely?

Clean Air Zones have sprung up across the UK in recent years with motorists now forced to pay daily charges to run their combustion vehicles.

Having the guts to push back against schemes is an instant vote winner - as was proven last summer.

Despite bleak national polling, the Conservatives held onto Boris Johnson’s former Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat in a by-election after Labour’s ULEZ expansion was pushed onto the agenda.

Sir Keir Starmer even admitted that ULEZ was "the reason we didn't win there” and promised to “reflect”. There was talk that the Conservatives could stop the move using the Greater London Authority Act of 1999 but ministers didn’t invoke the powers.

The rule says the Government has the power to veto any proposals by the Mayor that are “inconsistent” with national transport policies.

In May's local elections, the Tories also held the Hillingdon East ward with the Labour vote drastically falling by 8.7 percent. Conservatives also won a seat on Sutton Council after the party ran an anti-ULEZ campaign.

Although, Sadiq Khan's London Mayoral election win over Susan Hall who had promised to scrap ULEZ could suggest voters are starting to move on from the issue.

In a move that could save motorists hundreds of pounds a week, a pledge to tackle this issue head-on will get motorists' ears pricking in traditional Labour heartlands like London.

Finally, the state of Britain's roads is also an issue set to be close to voters' hearts. According to the RAC, there are estimated to be more than one million potholes across the UK.

The Asphalt Industry Association (AIA) chairman Rick Green recently warned roads were now at "breaking point" with a staggering £16.3billion needed to fix the issue.

Will any of the leading political minds offer a fix? With 73 percent of the UK population holding a driving licence, a quick pitch to motorists may not be a bad idea...