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The vast majority of motorists who have already bought electric vehicles said they will never go back to petrol and diesel again, according to a new poll.
Nine in ten EV drivers who have already made the switch some nine years ahead of the Government’s ban on sales of new internal combustion engine passenger cars said they will be sticking with battery power from now on.
When asked why, the top response – from 65 per cent of the panel – said they wouldn’t go back to petrol or diesel models for environmental reasons.
Meanwhile, 62 per cent said the technology and plug-in cars will only improve in the future, so they see no reason to consider reverting back to a motor running on fossil fuels.
Some 90% of electric car owners said they have no intention of going back to a petrol or diesel model in the future
The report comes as BMW launched a UK-wide rewards scheme for owners of its plug-in hybrid models, with users receiving free charging based on the amount of miles they drive in EV-only mode.
With over half a million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle on Britain’s roads today and sales growing – accounting for nearly 15 per cent of the new car market so far in 2021 – automotive publication What Car? surveyed 563 current EV owners to understand their purchase decisions better.
Among the top reasons for sticking with battery-powered models was the lower running costs, which was highlighted by 56 per cent of the panel.
With the Government’s ban on new petrol and diesel passenger car sales from 2030, those who have already made the switch to an EV were always unlikely to go back to a vehicle that runs on fossil fuels
Half of the EV drivers surveyed also said they believe electric vehicles are better to drive.
More than a third cited the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars as their grounds for not switching back.
Rising petrol prices pushing more drivers towards EVs, says AA
Latest figures show that July was the ninth consecutive month that petrol prices have increased, with the cost of unleaded now at an eight-year high.
RAC Fuel Watch said the average price of a litre of petrol is 131.1p. That’s 3.4p more than at the end of June and a whopping 21.1p more than in November when the rise began.
A litre of diesel is also much higher than it was less than a year ago, now costing an average of 137.1p, up from 134.4p at the beginning of July.
With no end in sight for rising pump prices, petrol is now just 7p-a-litre off the record high set in April 2012.
Earlier this year, AA said unrelenting increases in fuel bills is making for a compelling reason to buy an EV now, rather than waiting for the ban on new petrol and diesel cars in in 2030.
‘For those contemplating a post-covid car change, the argument for switching to electric has become very much stronger,’ said Luke Bosdet, the AA’s fuel price spokesman.
For the 10 per cent of EV owners who said they are considering reverting back to petrol or diesel cars in the future, having a vehicle with better range was given as the main reason by 51 per cent of respondents.
The need to own a cheaper car in the future had 20 per cent of responses, while 15 per cent said they believed petrol and diesel technology will improve in the future, making them more sustainable.
The study also asked electric and plug-in hybrid owners why they chose their vehicle in the first place, with 65 per cent stating they wanted to own a car that was better for the environment.
Nearly half also cited lower running costs as a factor, while the new technology aspect appealed to 43 per cent of owners.
Tax savings – such as zero per cent Benefit in Kind tax in 2020-2021, which has risen to one per cent this year and will increase to two per cent next – were cited by 26 per cent of owners.
Rachael Prasher, managing director, What Car?, said: ‘With new electric and plug-in models arriving in showrooms nearly every month, it’s no surprise to see electric vehicles growing in popularity.
‘The vast majority of electric owners no longer seeing themselves owning a petrol or diesel car in the future is a testament to the quality and capability of modern electric cars on sale today.
‘As the average range of a new electric car improves over time, it’s likely the share of electric car owners wanting a petrol or diesel car in the future will only diminish.’
What Car? says its research should be used as a strong indicator by manufacturers that consumers value the environmental credentials of EVs just as highly as their lower running costs.
BMW’s reward scheme to encourage hybrid owners to be greener
The German car manufacturer is offering rewards to owners of its plug-in hybrid cars if they use them in the greenest way possible.
‘BMW Points’ are available to owners of the 330e, 530e, 545e, 745e, X3 30e (produced from August 2021) and X5 45e with BMW Operating System 7.0, the programme offers free charging in exchange for electric miles driven.
Owners can earn two points for each mile driven electrically, and four points for each mile driven electrically in designated ‘eDrive zones’ across the UK.
Users are also awarded 20 bonus points every time their vehicle is charged for a minimum of fifteen minutes. Plus, a monthly reward of 500 points for each user who charges their vehicle twenty times a month for a minimum of fifteen minutes each time.
Once drivers have collected 3,200 points, they will be rewarded with £10 charging credit to be used across the BMW-specific charging network. At 7,500 points, customers will receive £25 and at 14,500 points a £50 free charging credit.
Electric miles driven are tracked in the My BMW App and, once registered, miles are automatically logged by the vehicle.
Additionally, any miles driven throughout Europe are also recorded, with BMW Points already available to customers in Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands.
BMW has a system built into its latest-generation plug-in hybrid cars that can detect when they are being driven into an ‘e-zone’ and switch to pure electric power – given there’s enough charge in the battery to do so
Once drivers have collected 3,200 points from driving in EV mode, they will be rewarded with £10 charging credit to be used across the BMW-specific charging network
The scheme comes after environmental campaign groups including Greenpeace and Transport & Environment called hybrids ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’, claiming they use four times as much fuel as maker’s claim.
They also insist that owners – especially those who have bought a PHEV for the BiK tax breaks – are rarely charging the batteries in PHEVs, instead relying on the petrol or diesel engine and negating any green impact the cars could have.
BMW became the first car manufacturer in 2020 to launch geo-fencing technology in designated areas across London and Birmingham, resulting in BMW plug-in hybrid models automatically switching to electric driving mode once the vehicle has entered designated eDrive zones.
Now in addition to London and Birmingham, a further six eDrive Zones have been launched across the UK in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Liverpool, Bath and Manchester.
BMW has also launched eDrive Zones in the Republic of Ireland, with Dublin and Limerick added as designated cities.
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