Research has revealed half of motorists believe the government should be doing more to make electric cars affordable.
June’s Startline Used Car Tracker also found 35% believed action should be taken to make electric cars easier to buy, 34% said more money should go into making chargers more widely available, and 26% said power from chargers should be cheaper.
If there was more government support, 29% of motorists said it was likely their next car would be electric. Just 4% reported their next car will be electric whatever the government did.
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “The research shows that there is a ready market for electric cars but that cost is a worry for motorists – whether that means buying the vehicle, getting a charger, or paying for the power needed – and they want financial help to make the move away from petrol and diesel.
“It appears there is a definite feeling out there that the government could do more to support people who want to make the switch to electric, something that echoes comments made by motor manufacturers and trade bodies in recent months.
“This perhaps isn’t really a key issue for most voters but it’ll be interesting to see whether any action is taken in this area by whoever gains power at the general election, which will take place within a few months.”
The Startline Used Car Tracker also showed 12% of people said there was no incentive the government could offer to make them buy an electric car, while 11% believed the government was doing enough already to support the electric car market.
Paul added: “These figures are interesting in themselves. From the media, you could get the impression that there is widespread resistance to the idea of buying an electric car but the research shows that only about one in 10 people feel that way.”
