Majority of motorists not convinced to switch to electric, survey shows

Despite rising fuel prices, UK drivers are split on government plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040.

According to research by Confused.com, 28 per cent of drivers disagree with the ban, while a further 28 per cent are positive about the proposals.

The research comes as Confused.com’s newly-launched weekly fuel price index reveals petrol and diesel is at a six-month high, with the average cost per litre coming to 119.6p and 120.5p respectively.

Despite rising fuel costs and the proposed ban on petrol and diesel cars, the research shows that almost eight in 10 (79 per cent) of motorists are not convinced about buying an electric car as their next vehicle.

This is also despite a range of car companies announcing they will be adopting the electric vehicle approach by as early as 2019.

One of the biggest concerns for motorists is that there is not enough places to charge vehicles in their local area (60 per cent). Other concerns include how long power will last (56 per cent), The length of charging times (50 per cent) and expensive upfront costs (54 per cent). Two in give (41 per cent) said there are holding on until the technology improves.

Almost seven in 10 (65 per cent) claim they should be able to buy whichever fuel type they want. And some drivers simply don’t believe the ban will benefit the environment (40 per cent) or improve air quality (33 per cent).