12:31 pm, November 22, 2022
The high price of EVs is the top worry for dealers when it comes to the electrification of the used car market.
That’s according to November’s Startline Used Car Tracker research, which showed that almost three-fifths (58 per cent) of the 59 dealers who were quizzed by the motor finance firm are concerned about the expense of EVs compared with petrol and diesel vehicles.
A quarter of them are worried about not having on-site charging facilities, while nearly a fifth (19 per cent) say customers aren’t ready to accept EVs and 14 per cent that their sales team isn’t EV-trained.
More than three-fifths (61 per cent) said generally cheaper EVs would help them adapt to electrification, while 38 per cent said longer-range vehicles would be an advantage and 28 per cent that a greater choice of electric models was needed.
Meanwhile, a fifth of dealers said they wanted the government to extend its 2030 electrification deadline – when the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars comes into effect.
Thirteen per cent want training programmes for sales staff and 11 per cent want better finance options.
Startline CEO Paul Burgess said: ‘The recent announcement by Ford that Fiesta production would be ending soon felt like a watershed moment in mainstream car manufacturers moving towards electrification.
‘The question is, what low-cost EVs are forthcoming that will replace much-loved, everyday cars like the Fiesta?
‘Dealers are clearly worried about the affordability of EVs, the suitability of their current premises to retail them, the ability of their sales staff to sell them and the appetite of lenders to finance them.
‘With eight years to go until the 2030 production deadline, it feels as though the motor industry still has much to do to help dealers make the EV transition.
“Especially, it seems to us, more effort needs to be put into showing consumers that the overall running costs of used EVs are generally very much comparable with familiar petrol and diesel cars, even if the upfront purchase price is higher.
‘This seems like a crucial point when it comes to creating market acceptance.’
