Drivers unaware of cheaper electric vehicle running costs
Fewer than two fifths of drivers believe electric vehicle running costs are cheaper than those for petrol or diesel models.
A survey of 2,000 drivers carried out by Motorpoint found that just 39% of respondents believe electric vehicles are the cheapest fuel type on a per-mile basis.
The data also revealed that home charging access is a barrier to electric vehicle adoption, with 23% saying they couldn’t install a charger at home.
When asked how they could encourage them to go electric, the top three incentives were improve public charging infrastructure (40%), offer greater financial support for home-charging installation (36%), and offer more financial incentives such as grants and tax credits (34%).
Mike Vousden, EV expert at Motorpoint, said: “Our research shows that the only thing stopping lots of drivers from switching to an EV is outdated information. We can see the needle moving slowly, but it’s important to keep improving public and at-home charging options to help more drivers swap to an electric car.
“Our research shows a 29% rise in non‑EV drivers planning to make their next car an EV over the last 12 months – and this was before the recent rise in fuel prices, which may further incentivise drivers to switch.
“As motorists continue to get more clued-up on EVs, this will help dispel some of the misconceptions that might’ve been putting them off.”
