Friday 27 May 2022

‘EVs more desirable than ever’

UK drivers are more likely than ever before to switch to an electric vehicle (EV) and ditch their diesel gas-guzzler.

That’s according to new research claiming that only 5% of motorists looking at buying their next new car would choose diesel.

For used car buyers, this sits at 21%.

Drivers have cited record diesel prices, as well as the environmental impact of internal combustion vehicles as reasons for the switch.

Out of the 1,000 car owners surveyed, 34% said the environment was the critical factor in their decision.

Overall, diesel has fallen largely down the pecking order for prospective car buyers, with 66% revealing they would never buy one again and 90% would consider anything but a diesel-powered vehicle.

Almost half of Brits said they wanted to move from a diesel car to an EV to save money, with the cost-of-living crisis having a huge impact on much of the nation.

The RAC claims that there are 456,000 battery-electric vehicles currently on UK roads, with EV specialist Simon Williams stating: “We’re now tantalisingly close to hitting the magic milestone of half a million zero-emission battery electric cars on the UK’s roads, something we expect to see reached in a matter of months.

“The sight of more cars sporting a green flash on their number plates is a reminder of the fantastic progress that is being made in getting more drivers to go electric, but there’s still a lot of work to do when you consider that battery-electric cars still only represent 1.2% of all those on the roads.”

The survey was conducted by What Car? and commissioned by Bridgestone.