Electric cars to get a green number plate from today

Green number plates have been given the green light and will be seen on UK roads from Tuesday 8 December.

It means electric cars will now have a green mark on their plates to help identify them.

The new plates are only for vehicles that are electric only and don't use any fuel such as petrol or diesel to move.

The government wants to cut harmful emissions from things like cars and factories by 2050

Why it this happening?

The UK has a target to reach net-zero for greenhouse gasses by 2050. That means harmful emissions from heating homes, fuel for transport, gasses from farming and industry will have to be stopped or - in areas where it's difficult to stop completely - balanced by other things like planting trees that suck carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere.

Last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson brought forward the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 to 2030 as part of his "green industrial revolution".

It's been suggested that adults with electric only cars will have cheaper car parking spaces in some places to encourage more people to buy the environmentally friendly vehicles.

The Government hopes the scheme will persuade more people to buy an electric vehicles (EVs) and the breakdown company the AA says that research shows it could work.

Edmund King OBE, AA president, said: "Almost one in five say the introduction of green number plates may influence them to switch to an EV so it is a move that we welcome.

"To achieve government targets on zero emissions we need to encourage more drivers to switch," he said.

"I first drove an EV in 2001 and they have come on in leaps and bounds since then. Today I pleased to be one of the first to get a green plate on my EV."

The government's Transport Minister Rachel Maclean the new plates on UK roads will "raise awareness" of more zero-emission vehicles on the road and is another step towards fixing poor air quality in Britain.

"It's clear there has never been a better time to make the switch to a zero-emission vehicle," she said.

"Improving air quality in our towns and cities in the process and harnessing the power of clean, green technology to end the UK's contribution to climate change by 2050."