Whilst I agree that the VED Expensive Car Supplement seems counterproductive to increasing EV sales, it is only applicable to EVs with a list price of £40,000 and above. Manufacturers have reduced the prices of many of their cars to make them exempt, in addition there are new EVs being introduced into the market with list prices below the £40k threshold. The changes have only levelled the playing field in VED costs between ICE and EV cars. For many people the increase can also be offset by the considerable savings which can be made in fuel costs by charging an EV at home on a discounted electricity tariff.
As, I understand maufacturers have only cut entry level cars, with upper trim models are still exceeding £40k. Of course there are Chinese and lower end often smaller european EV’s that top out under £40k anyway. Given EV’s are still more expensive than a equivulent or similar ICE/hybrid in the real world, you can still pick up a higher spec car for under £40k.
If you can charge at home and mainly drive with the range, savings can indeed be substantial but, if you can’t charge at home or do frequent journeys outside the range then the opposite is quite true.