According to research by road safety tech company OOONO, almost two thirds of UK drivers could bring forward their purchase of an EV depending on this week’s Autumn budget.
The survey of 1500 drivers found that if the Chanceller introduced financial incentives to do so, then 61% of UK motorists would consider speeding up their purchase plans for an EV. Another 11% were already planning to buy an EV – presumably fuelled by the latest rises in petrol and diesel at the pumps.
Age and cost played a big role in the decision making too. 29% of 18-34 year old drivers said they would accelerate their switch to electric compared with just 10% of over 65s.
Just under half, 46% said that high purchase prices would prevent a switch to an EV (ironic given that many EVs have price parity with their ICE counterparts), while 41% said limited public charging was an issue – another irony when 80% of current charging is done at home or at work and public charging locations have increased dramatically in recent years.
The respondents to the survey said that a financial incentive of between £1000 and £2000 would encourage them to switch sooner – a move that seems unlikely with the arrival of the 3p per mile Electric Vehicle Excise Duty for EVs due for 1 April 2028.