Shropshire Star

Three in ten motorists don’t know whether to go petrol, diesel or electric with next car

There’s still lots of confusion surrounding which powertrain to opt for.

Published
FTSE 100

Almost a third of drivers have no idea whether petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric is the right choice for them when they change their car, a new survey has found.

With a certain amount of mystery surrounding the right fuel choice for the job, it appears that motorists are being left in the dark about which car they should pick next.

Of the 2,000 drivers surveyed by gap insurance provider Insurethegap.com, 30 per cent admitted that they would not know whether to opt for a petrol, electric or diesel-powered vehicle when looking to buy a new or used car.

Younger drivers aged 18-24 were even less sure, with 41 per cent admitting that they wouldn’t know which fuel to opt for.

Because of this confusion 31 per cent said that they were keeping their current car for longer than they usually would – with 33 per cent of male and 29 per cent of female respondents saying this.

In addition, more than half of those surveyed said that they found the prospect of electric vehicle ownership ‘too daunting’ to think about buying one as their next car.

Ben Wooltorton, chief operating office at InsuretheGap.com, said: “From 2035 or sooner, drivers will only be able to buy electric or hydrogen cars, however, looking at the results of this survey this looks like a big leap of faith for many consumers who are clearly unsure about what type of car they should be buying.

“You can understand why people are feeling insecure as we were told not long ago that we should all buy diesel, and now diesel is being banned. It seems that many drivers need greater confidence that the issues around running an electric car are resolved before they will commit.”

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