Interest in greener cars continues to grow according to a report from Carzone. It finds that 70% of motorists plan to purchase an electric or hybrid vehicle in the near future.
That’s despite the fact that only 2% of respondents to the survey currently drive a hybrid or electric car, and only 36% of people were aware of the Government’s goal to reach 100% of all new cars and vans being EV’s by 2030. Notably only 16% feel that that goal is achievable.
Age is a factor as 77% of younger drivers between 18 and 24 have stated their intention to buy electric or hybrid compared to just 63% of those over 45.
The Nissan Leaf is the most searched electric vehicle on Carzone, followed by the Tesla Model S, BMW i3, Volkswagen e-Golf and Hyundai Kona.
The Lexus IS300h tops the search list for hybrids followed by the Mitsubishi Outlander and a trio of Toyotas – the Prius, RAV4 and C-HR.
Cheaper running costs (57%), better for the environment (20%) and tax incentives (10%) were cited as the top reasons why people would buy an electric or hybrid vehicle.
Other trends identified by the Carzone Motoring report include:-
- Nearly half of motorists say insurance costs have increased in the last year
- A quarter of motorists don’t have a good understanding of car finance options
- 31% of motorists change their car every 2-3 years
- Half of commuters find Monday morning the busiest time on the road
- Using personal savings is the main option considered by buyers when looking at financing a car
- The most popular car model is the Volkswagen Golf
- A fifth of commuters would consider using an e-Scooter for their work commute