Clean cars could get green plates and reap money-saving benefits

Drivers of zero-emission cars could be given green number plates to help them benefit from incentives for cleaner vehicles.

The Department for Transport has launched a consultation on plans to give special licence plates to cars that conform to the highest environmental standards.

This will make them easily identifiable to local authorities who want to promote the use of zero-emission vehicles through schemes such as allowing drivers to use bus lanes or charging them less for parking.

The measure is part of the UK Government’s £1.5 billion plan to clean up road transport.

Special number plates were trialled in Ontario, Canada, with drivers given free access to toll lanes and high occupancy vehicle lanes. The city subsequently saw an increase in electric vehicle registrations.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The UK is in the driving seat of global efforts to tackle vehicle emissions and climate change and improve air quality, but we want to accelerate our progress.

“By increasing awareness of electric vehicles and the benefits they bring to their drivers and our environment, we will turbo-charge the zeroemission revolution.”

Elisabeth Costa, senior director at the Behavioural Insights Team, which is partowned by the Cabinet Office, employees and innovation charity Nesta, said: “The number of clean vehicles on our roads is increasing but it’s difficult to tell clean vehicles apart from more polluting ones.

“Making the changing social norm noticeable will help encourage more of us to swap our cars for cleaner options.”

Mr Shapps recently announced he has doubled funding for charging points on residential streets, and the government is also consulting on requiring charge points to be built into all new homes with a parking space.