Half of drivers say government policy means they won’t buy EVs before 2035

In the week prior to Rishi Sunak’s announcement that the ICE ban would be pushed back from 2030 to 2035, 42 per cent of drivers planning to buy a new car said they expected it to be a low-emissions vehicle (either fully electric or hybrid), according to research carried out for Kwik Fit. However, following the announcement, Kwik Fit’s researchers found that the proportion planning to opt for a low-emissions vehicle has now dropped back to 38 per cent. The figures indicate that the number of car buyers planning to choose an EV or hybrid has dropped by more than two million since the ban has moved from 2030 to 2035.

Kwik Fit has been tracking the number of British drivers intending to buy an electric vehicle (EV) on an annual basis and so its researchers were able to assess the instant reaction to the announcement. The number of drivers planning to make the switch to EV or hybrid had been steadily increasingly since 2020 when 33 per cent of drivers said they would move away from petrol or diesel for their next vehicle. In 2021 that rose to 37 per cent, for the first time outstripping those sticking with petrol or diesel.

The proportion rose again in 2022 to 42 per cent, and figure that had stayed steady in this year’s study, until the decrease to 38 per cent following the Government’s announcement. In contrast, the proportion of drivers who plan to change their car and expect it to be purely petrol or diesel rose from 34 per cent before the Prime Minister revealed the delay on new sales, to 36 per cent afterwards.

The researchers also asked drivers about other impacts of pushing back the ban on new sales of petrol and diesel cars to 2035. 46 per cent of all drivers now won’t consider buying an electric car until after 2035. 43 per cent said that when the ban on new petrol and diesel cars comes into effect in 2035 they will just buy second hand petrol or diesels.

Kwik Fit’s research found that there was also some scepticism of the real-world impact of the government’s announcement. 44 per cent of drivers said it would not make any noticeable difference as the car manufacturers will stop making new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 anyway. Some drivers saw a silver lining in terms of the cost of vehicles.38% said the announcement made them more likely to buy a second-hand EV as they thought the demand will drop following the announcement and prices will come down.

While Rishi Sunak stated when making the announcement that he was still committed to Net Zero, 49 per cent of drivers believe that the decision to delay the ban will make it harder for the UK to meet its carbon emission targets, with just 19 per cent disagreeing.

Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, said: “There has been a clear change in drivers’ plans following the Government pushing the ban on sales of new petrol or diesel-powered cars back to 2035. Kwik Fit has been tracking drivers’ car-buying plans since the 2030 ban was announced. To this point we have consistently seen increasing numbers of drivers planning to switch to a low-emission vehicle for their next car, so this is a significant shift in attitude.

“Clearly the automotive sector is a very dynamic one, and with more EV models becoming available in both the new and used market, it’s likely that more drivers will consider making the shift as they become familiar with EVs at close quarters.However, it’s obvious that the car parc of the UK will be a mix of ICE, hybrid and EVs for many years to come, so it’s vital that drivers are supported in making sure their car runs as efficiently as possible for the long term, whatever type of fuel it uses.”