Only 16% of drivers agree with 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars – survey
Attitudes have also declined towards electric cars in recent years.
Just 16 per cent of motorists believe that the Government is ‘right to pursue’ its 2030 deadline for the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, a new survey has highlighted.
A poll of 11,565 drivers in June 2023 also found that only nine per cent of respondents would be choosing an electric vehicle for their next car, with 87 per cent stating that EVs are still too expensive to purchase. It represents an increase on the results of the same survey issued in March, where 81 per cent said the same thing.
Some 66 per cent of people said that rising energy costs had put them off buying an electric vehicle as their next car. Plus, only eight per cent said that they had confidence in buying a used electric car, with 64 per cent stating that they were worried that an EV’s battery wouldn’t last as long as a petrol or diesel engine.
Edmund King OBE, AA president, said: “Ahead of World EV Day (September 9) The AA and Electrifying.com are calling upon the Government to do more to help drivers switch to cleaner, greener vehicles.
“There is no doubt that the higher initial cost of EVs and charging difficulties, particularly for those without off-street parking, are putting off a significant proportion of drivers from being able to make the switch.
“Financial incentives are needed to help ‘level up’ the affordability for those drivers not able to benefit from salary sacrifice or company car discounts. Once drivers are able to go electric they will enjoy the financial, driving and environmental benefits and will not look back.”
The survey conducted by Electrifying and the AA also found that 70 per cent of those surveyed felt that public charging infrastructure was unreliable, despite there being 48,450 charge points in the UK as of August 2023 – a 42 per cent increase on the same period last year.
Ginny Buckley, founder and CEO of Electrifying.com. said: “On the surface sales of electric cars might look positive, but our recent survey results speak for themselves; Britain’s struggling car buyers are increasingly hesitant to make the switch to electric, and unless action is taken quickly we risk faltering on the road to 2030.”
