Over four-fifths (86 percent) of electric vehicle drivers would stick with an EV over a petrol or diesel vehicle if they had to make the decision again, according to new data. A survey of over 3,100 drivers found that EV owners are overwhelmingly satisfied with their driving across six key experience indicators.
When asked the same questions, petrol and diesel drivers were found to be less satisfied with their vehicles in comparison across each factor.
The results, from the Zenith EVXperience (EVX) report, found that the satisfaction level amongst all experience indicators for EV drivers came to a “highly satisfied” 8.4 out of 10.
In comparison, petrol and diesel drivers ranked much lower at an average of seven out of 10.
These indicators include driving experience, safety and reliability, experience of charging, cost of running, range and the mobile app or navigation system.
The most significant differences come down to cost, with EV drivers rating the cost of running their vehicle 8.5, compared to 5.8 for petrol or diesel drivers.
Indeed, the vast majority (86 percent) of drivers would still opt for an EV over a petrol or diesel vehicle if they had to make the decision again.
While environmental motivations are often touted as being a major reason for investing in electric, the survey revealed that the biggest motivating factor was cost savings.
Almost half of company car drivers and more than three in 10 salary sacrifice drivers said that cost savings were the best thing about the EV experience.
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Both groups cited the Government’s support of the Benefit-in-Kind tax scheme as being the number one factor.
For those with a personal lease vehicle, 30 percent said that low running costs were the best thing about the experience.
Environmental benefits instead came in as the second most common response with around a quarter of all drivers calling it the best thing.
Tim Buchan, CEO of Zenith, said: “What this has really driven home to me is how much people enjoy electric vehicles when they make the switch.
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“It’s no surprise that take-up in the UK has reached unprecedented levels over the past few years.
“The Government deserves credit for helping nurture this demand, but I see a real danger if this is allowed to falter.
“The lower costs associated with EVs is the overwhelming factor for switching from petrol or diesel that EV drivers single out.
“Now is the time to ensure that even more drivers recognise EVs as an affordable option.”
Concerns about the UK’s charging infrastructure and range anxiety are often discussed as common irritations for EV drivers.
However, the survey revealed that the majority of EV drivers take shorter journeys, likely on a single charge, with just 15 percent of drivers mainly using their EV for longer trips (over 60 miles).
When asked to rank the number one worst thing about the EV experience, the most popular response was limited range, with one in five respondents citing it.
A similar number (21 percent) ranked the need to plan for where to charge away from home, while one-fifth pointed to an unreliable charging network as the worst point.
Mr Buchan added: “We are calling on Government to remove VAT on public charging points which are already more expensive and we’re doing our bit at Zenith by increasing the number of subsidised charging points at our offices to help make a real difference for our employees and their families, regardless of their home ownership situation.”
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