Our survey says…
Only three per cent of UK motorists will consider buying an electric car in the next two years, according to a survey commissioned by insurance broker Adrian Flux.
The survey questioned 1,784 motorists, 73% of whom said they didn’t plan to buy an electric car in the next two years. The survey found that 35% of respondents said they enjoyed driving traditional cars, 22% said the price was prohibitive despite the £5,000 government grant, and 19% said they were concerned about the range of electric cars. A further seven per cent cited replacing expensive batteries as a prohibitive reason.
Development of electric cars has hit overdrive in recent years with the Nissan Leaf, BMW i3 and i8, VW e-Golf and Tesla Model S all coming to market and raising the profile, while Ford says it will launch 13 electric cars by 2020.
However, this survey was only a marginal improvement on 2012, when two per cent of those questioned said they’d consider switching from petrol to plug.
One surveyed driver said that ‘the pace of development is such that within a few years, any electric car bought today would be completely worthless’. Another questioned the long-term environmental effects of spent batteries while another added, ‘I would be most interested if the electricity was produced from renewable sources… fossil-fuel-produced power is no better than using petrol.’
Gerry Bucke, general manager at Flux, said, ‘Many of the people who took our survey said that they felt electric cars, or at least hybrids, would one day be commonplace on our roads, but most thought that there were still many hurdles for manufacturers to jump before that happened.
‘Despite an increased number of charging points in the UK, many motorists still suffer from range anxiety, which is something which won’t disappear until chargers are as widespread as petrol stations, charging is as quick as filling up, and electric cars can offer similar ranges to current vehicles.
‘Despite the government grant, new electric cars still tend to cost more than their petrol or diesel-powered cousins, which remains an issue for many, as do the supposed environmental benefits. People remain unconvinced about the practicality of the technology as it stands, as well as whether the cars are as green as manufacturers claim.’
