11:44 am, February 11, 2025
Carmakers are on course to miss ZEV mandate targets by a staggering 346,000 units by 2028 unless ‘major consumer concerns’ are addressed.
That is according to fresh data from Cox Automotive, which has today published its latest Insight Quarterly report.
The research found that several key blockers remain in place, which are stunting mainstream EV adoption among UK car buyers.
First up, Cox revealed that British motorists are lacking confidence about the long-term implications of EV ownership, with 58% of drivers keen for manufacturers to share more information regarding comparative cost analysis.
Meanwhile, 46% of respondents said that longer warranties or service packages from manufacturers or dealerships would help address their concerns.
Elsewhere, 69% of drivers said they wouldn’t be willing to pay more for an EV over a petrol or diesel alternative.
This is proving to be a huge stumbling block at present, with EVs currently costing an average of 12% more than their ICE counterparts.
Cox Automotive’s new car registration data currently forecasts that if adoption continues at its current rate, then 36% of new car registrations will be EVs by 2028.
That figure is well short of that year’s ZEV mandate target of 52%, equating to 346,349 cars – roughly the population of Coventry!
Cox’s experts say that the gap could partially be bridged if perceptions around the UK’s charging infrastructure can be improved.
The latest research, which polled 2,776 UK motorists, found that 82% of drivers thought the charging network was ‘poor’.
EV drivers also reported issues finding charging points (28%) and one in four found charging costs to be too high.
Reacting to the findings, Philip Nothard, insight director at Cox Automotive said: ‘Creating deadlines may convey a sense of urgency to the general public about the need for electrification, however that alone is not enough to drive adoption.
‘The government needs to address this growing consumer confidence crisis with tangible incentives to help bring the price of EVs down and improve the nation’s charging infrastructure, while manufacturers and dealerships need to help combat misinformation about making the move to electric.
‘Without these measures, we will simply set deadlines that we can’t hope to achieve.’
