7:16 am, April 11, 2023
Only one in six people who drive petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles never intend switching to pure electric.
That’s according to latest research from Close Brothers Motor Finance.
Out of 2,000 drivers polled for its latest The Road Ahead survey, just 15 per cent of non-electric drivers said they had no intention of getting a pure electric vehicle.
It also found that more than a quarter of drivers who don’t currently have an electric car (26 per cent) say they’ll switch to a pure electric car in a few years once the infrastructure has improved, while 21 per cent will do so once the cars themselves have improved.
Thirteen per cent of drivers who don’t have an EV plan on switching to one when they next buy a car.
The figure is highest for current hybrid drivers at 23 per cent, while just 11 per cent of petrol drivers and 13 per cent of diesel motorists say they will.
Among those surveyed, regardless of current car, the biggest incentives for EVs were price (42 per cent), charging infrastructure (32 per cent) and range (30 per cent).
Twenty-nine per cent were swayed by environmental and climate benefits, while 26 per cent said incentives such as grants and tax savings could persuade them.
Meanwhile, the Ulez expansion is pushing nine per cent of drivers towards electric vehicles – unsurprisingly being driven by those in Greater London (21 per cent), where the zone is becoming increasingly larger.
Asked about the cars themselves, 16 per cent of drivers said they’d buy an EV for the driving experience, while 15 per cent would do so because of the way it looked.
The latter factor was especially true of younger drivers, at 26 per cent of 25-to-34-year-olds and 25 per cent of 17-to-24-year-olds.
Nearly 850,000 new alternatively fuelled vehicles (AFVs) hit the road last year, and dealers sold 40.1 per cent more new battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) than in 2021, according to SMMT figures.
Lisa Watson, director of sales at Close Brothers Motor Finance, said: ‘With the government’s 2030 deadline fast approaching for phasing out the sale of new diesel and petrol cars, drivers need support to become comfortable with the switch.
‘There are clear signs that the AFV market is reaching a tipping point, and we could now be months rather than years away from AFVs becoming the norm.
‘Dealers need to ensure that they are ahead of the curve to be able to answer their customers’ questions and show them how to charge and maintain their new car.
‘But much of this sits with the government, too.
‘There must be top-down investment in infrastructure and charging, plus incentives to drivers, dealers and manufacturers alike to encourage the transition.’
