EV interest falls sharply after 2030 delay

The government’s decision to postpone the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in the UK from 2030 to 2035 has had an immediate impact on buyer intentions, according to a new survey carried out by Auto Trader.

It found that 37% of car buyers now say they’re unlikely to ever buy an EV, which is up from 21% in 2021.

Meanwhile, those saying they will buy an EV by 2035 has fallen from 49% in 2021 to 39%.

Ian Plummer, commercial director, said: “The government’s u-turn has clearly muddled the message on electric vehicles and this confusion has led to a doubling of the number of people saying they’ll never buy an electric car. The government’s decision to push the deadline back to 2035 is deeply unhelpful because of the doubt and negativity it spreads – but regardless of the date of the ban, the broader industry is committed to delivering an electric future.

“Advert views for new and used electric cars remain stable on Auto Trader, showing that those in the market haven’t been deterred. Yet these survey results show that in the long term, mass electric adoption has been made a trickier task.

“The truth is, with the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate still in place, very little will actually change in the wake of the delayed ban and so the only real impact will be dented consumer confidence in electric cars, as demonstrated by our survey results.”