The results are strong evidence of the fundamental shift in consumer attitudes in favour of environmentally friendly cars according to Zap-Map. In the poll, which was carried out in November 2020 with over 2,000 respondents, 91 percent said “no thanks” to replacing their EVs with a petrol or diesel vehicle; and in stark contrast less than 1 percent were hankering for a return to fossil fuels. 9 percent said they were not sure.
The majority of respondents were first-time EV drivers, with 73 percent stating their current vehicle was their first EV, and 52 percent making the purchase within the last year. Driver satisfaction was notably higher for both battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, with EV drivers reporting a satisfaction score of 91 out of 100 (BEV 92, PHEV 84), compared with only 72 for petrol or diesel vehicle ownership.
EV models which received the highest satisfaction scores included: the Volkswagen ID.3, Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid, and BMW 3 Series saloon (all 100); Tesla Model 3 (96); Kia e-Niro (96); and the Hyundai KONA electric (94). Nearly all the models, including popular ones such as the Renault Zoe (92) and Nissan Leaf (90), also achieved high levels of driver commitment.
Latest industry figures show that for the year-to-date 9.7 percent of all new car sales had a plug, compared to 3.2 percent in 2019, and 1.1 percent in 2015.
“Our latest poll shows the strong and enduring impact of switching to a clean car" said Melanie Shufflebotham, Co-Founder of Zap-Map. "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. At Zap-Map we monitor the growth of the charging network and it’s clear that many of the historical challenges of owning and running an EV have fallen away. The dramatic growth in EV sales in 2020 is one of the good news stories to come out of this difficult year for the car industry.”
RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis added that while the challenge is often convincing owners of petrol and diesel vehicles to switch to an electric vehicle in the first place, the 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.
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