The National FRanchised Dealers Association (NFDA) is set to trial an Electric Vehicle Approved (EVA) accreditation scheme in the used car remarketing sector.

Emulating the scheme already introduced for the car retail sector, the NFDA is piloting the scheme to drive electric vehicle (EV) expertise among National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA) members.

Five remarketing businesses have already agreed to take part in the pilot scheme, which is set to start on October 1, including: CD Auctions/Cazoo Wholesale; Wilson Auctions; Shoreham Vehicle Auctions (SVA); Fleet Auction Group; and Central Car Auctions.

NAMA's Paul Hill said: “Auctioneers have been putting a great deal of time and investment into preparing their businesses for the electric revolution, which is undoubtably shaping up to be the future of automotive retail.

“NAMA represents all auction companies of all sizes selling cars, commercial vehicles and plant in the UK, and we are delighted that five NAMA members will be piloting the EVA scheme for our sector.”

Launched by the NFDA in 2019, EVA encourages the sector to enhance their expertise in electric vehicles (EV) and support consumer confidence as the market moves towards EVs.

The scheme is endorsed and subsidised by the Government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and is independently audited by Energy Saving Trust.

The EVA scheme for car retailers now includes over 400 EVA-accredited dealerships.

NFDA chief executive Sue Robinson said: “It is extremely positive to see that EVA expanding into another sector within the automotive industry, typifying the efforts and investments automotive wholesalers and retailers are making towards supporting the decarbonisation of transport and reaching government’s net-zero targets.”