What differentiates Britain’s electric vehicle owners from other car owners?
It has become almost a cliché to say the future of cars is electric, especially since they’re increasingly part of the present – the government has pledged that all new vehicle sales will be zero-emission as soon as 2035, and car manufacturers themselves have (with varying degrees of enthusiasm) moved towards electrification on these shores and beyond.
But instead of looking forward, why not look at where electric vehicle (EV) owners are at right now? Using YouGov Profiles & BrandIndex data, we can explore their reasons for buying electric vehicles, their attitudes towards motoring in general, and their favourite car – and fuelling station – brands.
EV owners more likely to be men, higher income, and belong to the middle age bracket
Starting with the basics, most Britons who use an EV as their primary vehicle are men (64% vs. 36% who are women). The split among petrol/diesel drivers is more even (50% vs. 50%). Age-wise, 16% are aged 18-34, 46% are 35-54, and 38% are over-55, which means EV drivers slightly over-index on belonging to the middle age bracket and slightly under-index on belonging to the youngest.
Perhaps most notably, despite the attempts to turn EVs into mass-market products, they remain largely favoured by Britons on higher-incomes. Some 41% have an income that is at least 200% of the median national income Only 22% of petrol/diesel owners can say the same. Those on lower incomes (which we define as 75% of the median) account for just 7% of EV owners, next to 18% of petrol/diesel owners. Given petrol/diesel vehicles’ considerable incumbency advantage, this may be none too surprising, but the image of EVs as something reserved for the wealthier members of the public could be hard to shake.
That’s something that’s pretty interesting given that the main reason EV owners give for going electric is the running costs.
Running costs the most popular reason for going electric
In YouGov Profiles, we ask EV owners about their motivations for buying an electric vehicle. Three in five (60%) cited the lower running costs, and 40% said the cost of fuel impacted their decision. A fifth (22%) cited the purchase price, and another fifth tax incentives and rebates (21%).
The non-financial motivations for buying an electric vehicle include environmental benefits (41%), technology (33%), vehicle performance (31%), future-proofing (27%), the relative quietness of the ride (23%), and the overall design (21%).
How do EV owners differ in their attitudes towards cars and motoring?
EV owners have some key differences in their opinions towards car ownership and driving when compared to owners of petrol/diesel vehicles. Perhaps the starkest difference is their emphasis on luxury: three quarters (73%) like cars with luxury features, next to just over two in five (43%) of those who drive cars powered by fossil fuels. There’s a similar emphasis on a nice exterior: while 31% of petrol/diesel owners say how a car looks is more important than engine performance, more than twice as many EV drivers say the same (65%). Some 51% of EV drivers go so far as to say they would never drive an ugly car (vs. 42%).
They’re also more likely to say they enjoy driving different cars (59% EV vs 51% petrol/diesel) and that they like to be asked about their car (51% vs. 31%). EV owners are also slightly more likely to say they think foreign-made cars are better quality (42% vs. 35%).
What car brands do EV owners like the most?
We also looked into YouGov BrandIndex’s list of the most liked car brands among EV owners. In first position is Mercedez-Benz, a brand which 53% have a positive impression of, with Audi (48%) and Volkswagen (47%) behind in second and third respectively. Porsche and electric-only Tesla tie for fourth (42%), with BMW trailing (38%).
Volvo (36%), Mini (32%), Lexus (32%), and Nissan (31%) round out the remainder of the top ten. So these brands may do well to emphasise their electric offerings to these drivers – and for their competitors, these are the car brands to beat.
We also asked about their favoured petrol station brands – if EV chargers aren’t available on all their forecourts, these companies might do well to install them. Interestingly, there are some clear distinctions between the views of EV-owners and those who drive petrol or diesel vehicles.
Shell is number one (31%) – EV owners like it a fair bit more than owners of petrol/diesel cars (25%) – and Esso (19%) and Sainsbury’s (19%) come in joint second, with Tesco Petrol very close behind (18%). BP is appreciated by just15% of EV owners, compared to 26% of petrol/diesel owners.
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Methodology
YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for Great Britain is nationally representative of the online population and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.