The Garage 343

EV
Almost two-thirds of drivers won’t go
electric until they ‘absolutely have to’
As the cost-of-living rockets, price comparison experts Quotezone.co.uk asked consumers how they
really feel about electric versus fossil fuel cars (petrol/diesel) and which they found most cost effective.
The new survey reveals that 59.3%
of petrol/diesel drivers will only
consider buying an electric or hybrid
vehicle ‘when I absolutely have to’. 26.2%
said they would buy ‘within the next 5
years’, 10.3% said they would ‘buy now /
as soon as is feasibly possible’ and only
4.3% said they’d buy ‘just before the
deadline’ – 2030, when the government
plan on banning the sale of new petrol and
diesel cars.
The research also found that the main
barrier that is stopping people from buying
an electric car is the price, with 35.7%
of drivers saying they are too expensive,
followed by 20% of people who said range
anxiety was a major concern, while worries
about the availability of public charging
points were cited as an issue by 19.3% of
respondents.
Interestingly though, 57.8% of those
with electric cars said they were saving
over £100 per month compared to their
previous fossil fuel vehicle - with 36.6%
saving under £100 per month. Only 5.6%
didn’t believe they were making savings.
When electric vehicle owners were
asked what they didn’t like about their
cars, 24.8% said there weren’t enough
readily available charging points, followed
by range anxiety (20%), broken charging
points (19%) and rising energy costs (18%).
The data, compiled by Quotezone.
co.uk, was taken from a survey of 500
electric and petrol / diesel car insurance
policyholders, completed in August 2022.
Quotezone.co.uk’s Founder, Greg
Wilson, comments: “It’s really interesting
to see what’s holding people back
from going electric and again, lack of
infrastructure and car price, appear to
be the top offenders that are making it
impractical for many to make the switch.
“The hike in car prices is most likely due
to the new car shortage, brought about
by lack of materials and logistical issues
across Europe, causing a spike in shoppers
choosing ‘nearly new’ second-hand petrol
cars.
“One positive point to bear in mind for
those worried about costs is that electric
car insurance is now more readily available
as the majority of insurance providers
have added electric cars to their offering
– making it easier for consumers to shop
around and get a competitive premium.”
Currently only 2% of cars are hybrid
and 3% are electric in the UK. Data from
Quotezone.co.uk shows a small increase in
customers with electric or hybrid cars of
0.2% from June 2021 compared to June
2022 - with the average cost of those
electric vehicles increasing by £5k from
£34,000 to £39,000. The government has
been increasing investment in charging
points, including grants for motorists, as
well as tax relief to help make electric
vehicles more affordable.
30 THE GARAGE
30,31 EV 2-3rd.indd 1 15/09/2022 12:18