Last week, the Government announced it would bring forward the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to 2030 and end hybrid sales by 2035.
Following the announcement, What Car?’s weekly industry research of 7,778 in-market buyers found 24% of in-market buyers said they were now more likely to consider an electric vehicle as their next car bur that 59% of buyers disagree with the principle behind the ban.
According to What Car?, the “lack of understanding” around which vehicles will be impacted is to be blamed for the disagreement. When asked if they understood the details of the ban, 29% of respondents said they did not understand which vehicles will be allowed to be on sale after 2030.
What Car?’s previous research found that 20% of buyers do not know the differences between fully electric, plug-in hybrid, self-charging hybrid and mild hybrid vehicles.
Buyers also told What Car? they want better investment in public charging infrastructure from the Government, with 40% of respondents rating it as the single biggest initiative required to increase the uptake of electric vehicles.
Purchase subsidies, such as the current Plug-in Car Grant (PICG) were seen by 21% of buyers as the biggest driver for electric vehicle uptake.
