According to research commissioned by Europcar the recent rise in the cost of electricity has put off three in 10 buyers from purchasing an electric vehicle in the next year. Nearly half of those surveyed (47%) also said that the purchase cost of the vehicles was deterring them. Household budgets are under even more financial pressure this year to warrant the financial step to electric car ownership.
The latest figures published by the SMMT show electric car registrations rose 40.9% in April and accounted for more than one in 10 new car registrations.
However, for those considering buying electric the main concerns are still the same:
Purchase cost – 47%
Battery range – 36%
Lack of charging infrastructure -34%
Other concerns include:
Lack of knowledge about electric vehicles and ownership – 17%
Vehicle performance – 14%
Resale value – 13%
“Buying an electric car is a major financial investment and given the current economic climate affordability appears to be a major concern”, explained Ron Santiago of Europcar Mobility Group UK.
“Whether buying and running a conventional fuelled car or an electric, car
ownership costs have increased over the past 18 months, with increased fuel
costs at the pump and electric costs at the plug.
“There are alternatives for
motorists who would like to drive greener cars without incurring the high costs of ownership, such as vehicle rental, car clubs and car share schemes”, added Santiago.
“Greener driving needs to be
affordable, and people need
to feel comfortable with electric car ownership to
ensure the long-term government net-zero emissions goals are achieved.”