The secret life of EVs – petrol drivers have ‘no idea’ what owning an EV is really like

Poll finds petrol car drivers to have a limited understanding of the realities of EV ownership.

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By Colin Walker

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A new poll has found petrol car drivers have limited understanding of how electric cars are currently charged, mistakenly assume that EV drivers regularly run out of charge, and underestimate the savings that EVs generate over running a combustion engine car.

The polling of 1,000 Non-Electric Vehicle (EV) Drivers (described above as ‘petrol car drivers’) in the UK​ and 1,000 Electric Vehicle (EV) Drivers in the UK conducted by YouGov from 4th to 15th April 2024. 

It follows the launch of Electric Vehicles UK, a new body will tackle the “clear disconnect” between some perceptions of electric motoring and the “lived experience”. These polling results lay bare the scale of the problem. 

Around 4 in 5 (78%) petrol car drivers think EV drivers have to use public chargers at least once a week, but less than 1 in 5 (18%) EV drivers report having to do so. In fact, almost three quarters (73%) use them just once a month or less.

More than 5 in 10 (54%) petrol car drivers think EV drivers run out of charge at least once a year but, in reality, more than 8 in 10 (82%) of EV drivers report never running out of charge. 

Nine in ten (92%) EV drivers polled by YouGov for the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) reported that they can charge their vehicles at home whereas only 4% of petrol car drivers correctly thought this proportion, the vast majority, can charge at home.

Only a third (32%) of petrol car drivers think an EV is cheaper to operate over its lifetime, versus over half (53%) who think it’s more expensive.

ECIU analysis has shown that petrol car drivers are paying a £700 ‘petrol premium’ over driving an EV because of high fuelling costs compared charging an EV, even when higher new EV sticker prices are taken into account.

Prices of many secondhand electric vehicles are now similar to those for petrol equivalents, according to Autotrader.

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