EV charging concerns | 50% of Brits prefer petrol or diesel cars

It seems concerns regarding charging are paramount among Brits and this one reason has resulted in almost 50 per cent of respondents preferring petrol or diesel cars over electric vehicles (EVs), says a study.

The study conducted on 1,000 Brits by insurance firm NFU Mutual saw that 45 per cent of respondents said they would not swap petrol or diesel cars for EVs in the next 10 years.

Charging infra needs a boost for a larger
adoption of EVs -- Source: Electrek.

Among the respondents, 58 per cent were concerned about the range, saying battery range was their main worry for staying away from EVs, while 58 per cent were concerned about lack of charging points.

About 44 per cent of them said the time taken to recharge an EV was annoying.

However, 29 per cent of those questioned said that they may switch over to an electric vehicle in five years, while an additional 16 per cent said they would consider shifting in the next decade.

Seven per cent felt that switching to hybrid cars, but not a fully electric vehicle, was the best option.

In NFU Mutual’s research, there were some regional disparities among consumers. Only 47 per cent of London residents say a dearth of charging points would wean them away from buying an electric car. This figure surges to 70 per cent in the East of England.

Also, 68 per cent of respondents in Wales and 65 per cent in Northern Ireland said lack of charging infra was a stumbling block to buying EVs.

There were also major concerns about range. While only 48 per cent of respondents in London said range was an issue, the figure was 72 per cent in the East of England.

In Wales (70 per cent), South-West of England (69 per cent) and Northern Ireland (68 per cent), respondents said range was a major issue.

“There are reasons to cheer in this study, as 52 per cent of Brits may consider switching to an electric or hybrid vehicle within a decade,” said a car insurance specialist at NFU Mutual.

He added, “Although a significant proportion of the people would not switch to an electric vehicle soon, we are of the opinion that this number would fall if public charging infrastructure continues to grow at the current pace, mainly in the sparsely-populated areas.”

He further said, “As the country’s leading rural insurer, we understand that the disparity in charging infrastructure given in the department of transport figures is felt by those in mainly rural areas. This is backed up by our research. Our research says there is reason to be positive, with rural people thrice more likely than urban dwellers to own an EV.

The expert also said, “We have to understand the worries of prospective buyers in switching to EVs or alternatively-fuel vehicles. Transport caters to a whopping 27 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, we in the UK need to allay those fears if we are to meet the target of net-zero emission by 2050.”

A rapid infra boost as well as lowering of e-car prices would ease charging concerns and more and more Brits would start preferring EVs over petrol or diesel cars.