Given identical models at identical prices, auto-buyers would still choose hybrids
With auto manufacturers consistently broadening their ranges, we ask consumers whether, given the choice of identical models at identical price-points, they would choose all-electric, hybrid or an all-petrol/ diesel vehicle. According to trended data from a global YouGov poll – conducted in 17 markets in 2021, and 18 markets in 2023 – more than two-fifths of overall consumers would choose a hybrid car (46%), up from 40% in 2021.
All-electric cars see no increase in the proportion of consumers who would choose one if the car was available at the same price, registering around one in five global consumers in 2021 and 2023 (20% each). All-petrol/diesel cars also remain roughly the same in consumer preference (22% in 2021; 21% in 2023).
Polling data reveals a steep rise among Australian consumers choosing all-electric (19% in 2021 vs. 25% in 2023) and hybrid cars (29% vs. 46%) over the course of two years, if their chosen car model is available for the same price. On the other hand, the share of consumers choosing all-petrol/ diesel variants went down from 31% to 20%.
While slightly fewer than one in five Britons would choose an all-electric vehicle in 2023 (19%) compared to 2021 (24%), hybrid and petrol/ diesel cars have seen an increase in consideration - (39% 2021 vs. 45% 2023) and (17% vs. 20%) respectively.
US registers the highest increase in consumers choosing all-petrol/ diesel cars compared to identically priced alternatives (38% vs. 28%). While there is also a slight increase in consumers picking hybrid cars (31% in 2021; 33% in 2023), all-electric cars see a drop (16% vs. 12%).
In the Nordic region, consumers in Denmark are increasingly choosing all-electric vehicles if they cost the same as any other type (23% in 2021; 31% in 2023), while fewer consumers would look for hybrid (38% vs. 32%) or petrol/diesel models (19% vs. 16%). In Sweden, on the other hand, consumers are more likely to pick hybrid cars in 2023 (41%) than they were two years ago (37% in 2021).
Urban Indians indicate that they are far more likely to purchase hybrid cars in 2023 (53% vs. 43% in 2021) if they are available at the same price, with the all-electric option seeing a decline (30% in 2021; 26% in 2023).
UAE consumers also indicate to be jumping on the eco-friendly and sustainability bandwagon with about three-tenths saying they would pick an electric car (29%) compared to 23% in 2021. More than two-fifths would pick a hybrid car (45% vs. 41% in 2021).
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Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 18 markets with sample sizes varying between 511 and 1,999 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in May 2023. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.
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