BT Group has announced the UK’s largest ever commercial electric vehicle (EV) fleet order, with around 3,500 new EVs being ordered.

The order will mean, according to BT Group, that it has the largest fleet of EVs in the UK, with nearly 8,000 by the time the company’s latest EV order is complete in 2026.

“By integrating yet more electric vehicles into our operations, we are taking another significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint and supporting the UK’s transition to a greener future,” said Simon Lowth, chief financial officer at BT Group.

“As we extend our full fibre build from 16 million homes and businesses today to 25 million by the end of 2026, having the most efficient, sustainable electric vehicles will give our engineers the edge as they connect customers at pace to our next generation networks. Our modern fleet will help us to be more efficient and deliver a better service for our customers.”

The company already has around 4,300 electric vehicles, supporting its target to become a net zero business by March 2031. The order of the new EVs is part of a larger delivery of 6,000 new vehicles, with more than half of the vans being EVs.

Lilian Greenwood, future of roads minister, said: “Businesses have a crucial role to play in driving the transition to electric cars and vans. That’s why it’s fantastic to see that BT Group have made the most of our plug-in van grant to order 3,500 brand new EVs – which means they will have the largest electric commercial fleet in the UK.

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“We want to help more businesses decarbonise their operations, and we’ve extended our plug-in van grant with £120m funding to help roll out more zero emission vans on our roads – part of our £2.3bn to support industry and consumers switch to EVs and make the transition a success”.

The order will be delivered by four manufacturers over the next two years: Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, and Renault.