Skip to main content

MoneySuperMarket: 49% of British public surveyed have never considered buying EV or Hybrid Car

49% of the of the British public have stated that they have never considered buying an electric car (EC) or hybrid car, according to recent research by MoneySupermarket.com. These findings come from a survey carried out by the comparison site on 1,000 UK car owners to determine whether the British public is prepared for the electric switch following the government’s plans to prohibit petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040. It examined the cost, the number of charging points and public opinion.
November 7, 2017 Read time: 3 mins
49% of the of the British public have stated that they have never considered buying an electric car (EC) or hybrid car, according to recent research by MoneySupermarket.com. These findings come from a survey carried out by the comparison site on 1,000 UK car owners to determine whether the British public is prepared for the electric switch following the government’s plans to prohibit petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040. It examined the cost, the number of charging points and public opinion.


Key findings showed 51% of people stated that price is currently the biggest barrier to them buying an electric or hybrid vehicle. 48% said they would switch if there were more charging points. Meanwhile, 30% said they wouldn’t buy either vehicle due to a lack of knowledge on how they work. In addition, 62% of people were unaware that the Government offers discounts and grants on purchasing an EC or hybrid vehicle.
 
An average for each fuel type was taken of three of the top-selling cars from petrol, diesel and electric. Data for the upfront costs of each of the nine vehicles were taken from their brand’s site as well as costs of servicing, road tax and MOT prices. The lifetime was measured as six years with the average mileage of 7,900 miles a year entered onto the site nextgreencar.com to determine the fuel costs. The results showed the total costs for diesel is £36,849 ($48,279), compared to £31,442 ($41,210) for electric and £26,766 ($35,082) for petrol. The overall costs for each model were made into three separate averages, which revealed that purchasing petrol cars is over £5,000 ($6,553) cheaper on average than electric cars, and £9,000 ($11,799) less than buying diesel vehicles. The running costs of ECs are 25% cheaper than petrol and 33% less than diesel.

Models used in the test include:  Ford Fiesta Style (Petrol), Volkswagen Golf (Petrol), Ford Focus (Petrol), Skoda Superb Estate (Diesel), Vauxhall Astra Hatchback (Diesel), BMW 3 Series Saloon (Diesel), Renault Zoe Signature (Electric), Nissan Leaf Acenta (Electric) and BMW i3 (Electric).
 
The running costs over lifetime (annual) show that the cost of MOT’s and servicing over the average lifetime of an EC is half of both petrol and diesel vehicles. While EC users have the highest average insurance premium, they save money each year from paying no road tax. Additionally, the average fuel cost for ECs is £394 ($516) a year whereas the cost for both petrol and diesel are £700 ($917).
 
Data collected on the number of EC charging points available to drivers in UK cities revealed that while London performed well with 210 charging points in Central London, Liverpool and Cardiff had fewer than 10.
 
A full copy of the research can be found on the %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external website false https://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-insurance/electric-car/the-cost-of-driving-green/ false false%>.

Related Content

  • Intertraffic debut for YoGoKo’s V2X communications
    March 20, 2018
    French start-up company YoGoKo makes its Intertraffic debut with its focus firmly set on the challenges associated with V2X communication and autonomous driving. A few hundred road maintenance vehicles and motor coaches equipped with YoGoKo’s hybrid (ITS-G5/cellular) communication systems are participating in the EU-funded Scoop@F pilot deployments. Working in real traffic conditions, the pilot aims to validate a set of initial cooperative ITS (C-ITS) services between vehicles and the roadside
  • Sound synthesis makes hybrid and electric vehicles safer
    January 20, 2012
    The growing popularity of hybrids and electric vehicles gives rise to new safety issues in urban environments, as many of the aural cues associated with engine noise can be missing. The solution is to intelligently make vehicles noisier. The rise in popularity of hybrids and Electric Vehicles (EVs) is a result of environmental pressures, shifts in taxation and emerging technologies for batteries and motors. Competition among the car manufacturers means these vehicles need to be cost effective to buy and ope
  • Evergrande is new main owner of NEVS
    January 22, 2019
    Chinese property developer Evergrande has acquired 51% of shares of NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden) in a bid to help the smart car firm develop green mobility solutions. Evergrande’s business covers technology, real estate, health and cultural tourism. The deal is expected to help NEVS develop a second car manufacturing plant in Shanghai which will be used to develop electric vehicles and transport solutions. Currently, NEVS has a manufacturing plant in Tianjin, China, and Trollhättan, Sweden
  • Transdev and Ericsson team up on AV cybersecurity project in France
    March 8, 2019
    Transport operator Transdev and telecoms firm Ericsson have teamed up in France on an autonomous vehicle (AV) cybersecurity project. The companies have deployed high-speed private network LTE data communications to demonstrate secure mobility operations with AVs. The Rouen Normandy Autonomous Lab (RNAL) project is an on-demand shared and autonomous mobility service operating on open roads with four Renault ZOEs and, soon, with an i- Cristal Transdev Lohr shuttle. Franck Bouetard, head of Ericsson Franc