57% Of UK Consumers Consider Buying Electric Vehicles

Buying electric vehicles has become more common than not. This topic along with a couple of others was included in a research study that was conducted by the UK’s largest insurance company, Aviva, which partnered up with YouGov for the research.

It shows the attitudes of UK consumer drivers regarding electric vehicles and driverless cars. The study was conducted from March 21–21, 2019 and just recently published. 1,487 of the participants were over the age of 18 and identified as a regular driver. It was conducted via online interviews and administered to members of YouGuvPlsUk panel, which has over 800,000 members who have signed up to participate in surveys.

Photo by Andy Miles

Attitudes Toward Buying Electric Vehicles

The key findings of this report show that more than half (57%) of British respondents would consider purchasing an electric car if the price was right for them. The proportion increases to 73% for those aged between 18–24. This shows that the younger generations, unsurprisingly, are more open to the idea of electric vehicles than the older ones.

84% of those surveyed said that the reason they would consider buying an electric vehicle is that they are environmentally friendly. This was the number one reason. The second reason why was because they wanted to save money on fuel (69%). And 54% were “anticipating future trends.”

Also, the report shows that 92% of women who would be likely to consider buying an EV was because “they are environmentally friendly” versus 78% of men saying so.

Despite the desire or at least openness to purchasing an electric vehicle, some things are holding UK residents back. Most notably, 81% were concerned about the battery charge and range of electric cars. Finding somewhere to charge was one that 74% were concerned about. (One solution to that problem is the UK making it mandatory for homebuilders to include charging stations in all newly built homes.)

Similarly, the time it would take to recharge (66%) and the cost of buying an electric vehicle (64%) were also top concerns listed in the survey.

General environmental concerns are also a factor for UK consumers when it comes to buying electric vehicles. 37% said they consider the environment when traveling for long distances, like flying. The majority of the respondents agreed that environmental consciousness is a concern when it comes to buying household products such as trash bags, recycled products, and reusable products.

42% tended to disagree when it comes to environmental consciousness. This ratio reflects that many people are still divided when it comes to the idea of environmental consciousness and this can easily be resolved as more and more research comes out.

Attitudes Toward Driverless Cars

The idea of driverless cars sounds futuristic and sci-fi even, but more and more people are starting to warm up to it.

When it comes to driverless cars, 57% of those who responded to the survey were worried about the idea of technology being in control rather than the driver. 19% thought that driverless cars would make the roads safer.

Another question was, “How likely, if at all, would you be to ever travel in a driverless car?” The survey also emphasized the meaning of driverless cars by noting, “we mean a self-driving car that is capable of sensing its environment and moving with little or no human input.” The results show that many UK consumers are shy when it comes to the idea of driverless cars (62%), while only 27% were open to the idea of driverless cars. 11% were unsure.

Of those who would travel in a driverless car, 31% said that they would because they thought the roads would be safer and that it’s an exciting development in technology, while 9% said they don’t like driving in general.

Conclusion

This report reflects some of the mentality of UK drivers — those who were surveyed. It’s critical data that shows just how people are reacting to the idea of driverless cars and electric vehicles. New ideas are often approached with doses of caution and skepticism. However, this report certainly shows that there are people out there open to the idea of driverless cars and buying electric vehicles.

Featured image: Screenshot of video from Andy Slye.