October 8th, 2021, Christien Pheby
The national lorry driver shortage has led to chaos on the UK’s forecourts – and speculation that electric and hybrid cars might now look a safer bet for motorists than vehicles that run on petrol and diesel.
When the question of whether they’re more likely to buy an electric or hybrid car is put to the British public, three in ten (31%) say the crisis has made them more likely to consider purchasing one of these vehicles – on top of the 14% who were already thinking about it before the pumps ran dry.
Nevertheless, half of the public (49%) weren’t considering buying a hybrid or electric vehicle ahead of the shortages, and the chaos at petrol stations hasn’t been enough to move their opinion. A very small percentage say the situation has made them less likely to buy an electric or hybrid vehicle.
When asked what kind of vehicle they’d prefer to buy, Britons who are contemplating buying one of these cars are slightly more likely to opt for an electric car: 37% say they may consider one compared to 34% who would opt for a hybrid – suggesting that even amidst a national shortage of fossil fuels, a third of the public want a petrol option. A fifth (19%) express no preference either way.
Methodology
YouGov polled 2,000 British adults online on 1 October 2021 between 16:40 and 18:04 BST. The survey was carried out through YouGov Direct. Data is weighted by age, gender, education level, region, and social grade. Results are nationally representative of adults in Great Britain. The margin of error is 3.9% for the overall sample. Learn more about YouGov Direct.
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