The report covered 781 institutions, including national agencies, local governments, and public organizations with six or more vehicles. The government mandates that these entities must acquire at least 100% of their new purchases or leases as electric or hydrogen vehicles.
In total, 632 institutions reported new vehicle purchases or leases last year, introducing 8,271 vehicles designated for transition. Among these, 7,826 were electric or hydrogen vehicles, accounting for 94.6%, a 5.5 percentage point increase from the previous year.
By category, national agencies introduced 1,718 electric or hydrogen vehicles out of 1,746 designated vehicles, the highest proportion at 98.4%. Local governments and councils accounted for 93.8% with 1,875 out of 1,998, while public institutions had 93.5% with 4,233 out of 4,527.
The mandatory purchase program for electric and hydrogen vehicles in the public sector is a leading demand policy aimed at accelerating private sector adoption. By having the government and public institutions lead the way in adopting eco-friendly vehicles, it encourages market growth and the expansion of charging infrastructure, ultimately promoting the transition to electric and hydrogen vehicles in the private sector.
However, the percentage of institutions meeting the mandatory criteria has decreased. Of the 632 institutions with new purchase or lease records, 575 met the requirements, representing a compliance rate of 91.0%, down from 95.4% the previous year, leaving 57 institutions non-compliant.
Specifically, national agencies such as the Fair Trade Commission, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Customs Service, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Justice, the National Fire Agency, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries fell short of the mandatory rate. Local governments included 25 institutions such as the Sejong City Council, Daejeon Yuseong District Office, Ulsan Jung District Office, Gangwon Wonju City Hall, and Chungnam Taean County Office. Public institutions included 24 entities such as the Korea Coal Corporation, Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation, Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, and the Korean Sports Council.
This decline is attributed to the reduced performance assessment ratio for electric vehicles starting in 2025. In 2024, one electric passenger vehicle purchased or leased counted as 1.5 vehicles, while one electric bus or truck counted as 1.7. However, beginning in 2025, all electric passenger, bus, and truck purchases will count as only one vehicle.
If the 2025 performance were calculated using the 2024 assessment ratios, the number of institutions meeting the mandatory criteria would rise to 601, with a compliance rate of 95.1%. This indicates that the transition performance has not regressed; rather, the government has reduced the weight of benefits, focusing on the actual number of vehicles introduced.
To support the public sector's transition to electric and hydrogen vehicles, the government recently revised the "Low-Emission Vehicle Mandatory Purchase and Lease Guidelines." The key change involves stricter reviews of exceptions for mandatory purchases and leases.
Previously, public institutions could submit reasons for difficulties in purchasing or leasing electric or hydrogen vehicles to the Korea Environmental Corporation, which would then assess the exceptions. However, starting in April, a private committee led by the Korea Environmental Corporation will review the eligibility for exceptions.
The government stated, "As of April this year, the number of electric vehicles in the country has surpassed 1 million, and the proportion of electric and hydrogen vehicles among new car sales has exceeded 20%, indicating a growing trend in adoption. We plan to systematically operate the program and expand tailored support to ensure the public sector continues to lead the transition."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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