We all know the benefits of driving electric cars. So what’s still stopping most drivers from making the switch?

Without a doubt, the number of EVs on the road is rising fast. But many drivers are still choosing to buy petrol cars even when the time to change vehicles comes around.

So what is stopping people from making the switch to electric? 

Barriers Direct surveyed the UK’s drivers this year and found that a number of factors were stopping people from getting an EV. Here are some of them.

Price

23% of drivers in the UK who do not currently have an electric car cited price as the main reason.

It does indeed stand to reason.

A new Kia EV6 (for drivers looking for a family-sized car with a close to 300-mile charge range) starts at £44,495.

On the other hand, a petrol Kia Sportage (slightly bigger than the EV6) has a list price starting at £27,950.

The small electric Renault Zoe starts at £29,240 new. By comparison, a petrol Renault Clio starts at £16,830. 

Electric cars are more expensive to buy up front. There is no denying that. And it’s not even “just a bit more” expensive. It’s a vast difference. Granted, this can often be made up in tax savings on electric cars and a lower cost of running. But that up front cost is a big deal for many.

It is exacerbated further by the fact that, right now, there are not as many electric cars on the used market as petrol cars and it will take some years before there are more. So it’s harder to get a “bargain” on an EV than on a petrol car.

A Lacking Public Charging Infrastructure

17% in the survey cited a lack of public charging as the reason for not going electric. Again, there’s some weight in this. Public charging is sparse in parts of the country. And on motorways it’s still not sufficient. When you do have access to public charge points, they can also be pricey. High speed motorway charging can, in some cases, end up costing you as much per mile as petrol.

Damaged Charge Points

In addition to the 17% of non-EV owners who cited a lack of charge points, a further 7% pointed to the risk of damaged charge points – in other words, arriving at a charger to find it doesn’t work.

Price and Infrastructure

So ultimately, it looks like convincing people to go electric at an even faster rate is going to depend upon making EVs more affordable and charging out of home more reliable.

The post Barriers to Entry – What’s Stopping More Consumers from Buying an EV? appeared first on My Car Heaven.