1:53 pm, May 5, 2023
New electric vehicle waiting times have fallen for the sixth consecutive month and drivers are now waiting an average of five months for their new car to be delivered.
On average car buyers are waiting 21 weeks for their new car, down by 20 per cent from February.
Wait times for electric cars peaked in October 2022, according to data from Electrifying.com.
In its latest research it found that wait times had dropped by 42 per cent since that October peak, down by a drastic 35 weeks.
Across the models available, the new data shows that in April there are no electric vehicles that buyers would be waiting more than a year for.
The longest wait is for the Hyundai Kona, which it now says will take 10 to 12 months to be delivered.
Mercedes-Benz range of electric cars remains the easiest to get hold of with immediate availability for all models.
The Audi Q4 e-tron had the longest wait time of 18 months in February, but this is now down to seven months while the Audi e-tron GT has seen wait times increase from six months to 10.
The drop in lead times has been caused by pressure easing on supply chains and increased production of electric vehicles.
However, Electrifying.com suggests that this drop in wait times is partly down to a consumers ‘pressing pause’ on their purchases because of a lack of affordable cars.
Founder and CEO of Electrifying.com Ginny Buckley said: ‘Drivers wanting to get the keys to a new car as soon as possible are in luck, with waiting times just a fraction of what they were even six months ago.
‘Demand for electric cars has increased – we can see this in the most recent registration statistics, but I fear that private buyers are being left behind. If we’re to bring everyone along on the journey, car makers now need to make sure that more affordable models are launched to help drive uptake amongst mainstream consumers.
‘This, together with serious improvements being made to our public charging infrastructure, will give drivers the confidence they need to make the switch. When drivers can be certain that public chargers are reliable, plentiful and fairly priced, they will feel comfortable making the switch to less expensive electric cars with smaller batteries.’
