90% of EV buyers say they won't switch back to petrol or diesel

Nine out of 10 electric car owners say they would never consider going back to a fossil fuel vehicle.

EV sales have soared in the last 12 months, bucking the overall decline in new car registrations, with 108,000 EVs registered in 2020. Now, new research by Zap-Map has found that those who have already made the switch are overwhelming converted for good.

Ninety per cent of drivers questioned by the charge point mapping service said they woldn’t return to a petrol or diesel vehicle for their next car, with just one per cent saying they were keen to swap back to a combustion engined vehicle. The remaining nine per cent said they weren’t sure how their next vehicle would be powered.

The majority (73 per cent) of respondents were first-time EV drivers and 52 per cent had bought their car in the last year.

The poll spoke to owners of EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles, finding higher satisfaction among EV drivers than PHEV owners, with EV drivers reporting a satisfaction score of 92 out of 100 compared with 84 for PHEV drivers.

Many EV drivers said they couldn’t be happier with their cars, with the Volkswagen ID.3, Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid, and BMW 3 Series saloon all scoring 100 per cent satisfaction ratings from owners.

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Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder of Zap-Map, commented: “Our latest poll shows the strong and enduring impact of switching to a clean car. The evidence in favour of electric vehicles grows more compelling with each one of our surveys, even in a year as disruptive as 2020.

“The challenge for the automotive industry is to take advantage of the opportunities that EVs present, not only in terms of the rapidly expanding range, but also ensuring that sales staff are knowledgeable enough to present the benefits to their customers.”

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said the findings showed a swing in momentum towards electric vehicles as the government ban on petrol and diesel approaches.

He commented: “While the challenge is often convincing owners of petrol and diesel vehicles to switch to an electric vehicle in the first place, this data shows that once people have done so they seldom look back - which is also positive news for manufacturers that are investing heavily in electric vehicles and cleaner technology.

“While would-be electric car drivers might worry about range anxiety, they should also be aware that the number public charge points is increasing rapidly and infrastructure continues to improve.

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