- A poll of petrol and diesel car drivers, undertaken by UK polling company YouGov, has found that the average ICE driver got just two questions correct, on a ten-question quiz on the topic of EV facts.
- The significant knowledge gap indicates a crucial need for both government and the automotive industry to educate prospective EV drivers, and suggests that media disinformation on electric vehicles over the past few years has had an impact on the general public’s EV knowledge.
- Around 57% of respondents scored less than two out of ten, while 23% got zero answers correct. The wide majority, 90%, scored less than five out of ten.
EV knowledge lacking amongst the UK’s petrol and diesel car drivers
The survey, undertaken by 1,000 non-EV drivers in the United Kingdom, covered EV questions ranging from cost of ownership and lifetime emissions, to recent media myths such as EVs being too heavy for car parks, or having an increased risk of catching fire. The survey found that those with lower scores were less likely to be considering an electric car next – those scoring two or below were 11 times less likely to state that their next car would be electric, than those who scored eight or above.
Around 35% of those surveyed incorrectly believed that the lifetime CO2 emissions produced by an EV were equal to that of an equivalent petrol car. This indicates another area where correct messaging will need to be ramped up, considering that Volvo has already proven this to be wrong with its recent life cycle assessment of the EX30 EV, proving it to produce 60% less CO2 over its life than an equivalent petrol Volvo.
A question that ICE drivers got significantly wrong was the incorrect belief that petrol cars are cheaper to own and run, than an EV – with 62% of non-EV drivers surveyed believing this to be true. This is becoming more incorrect by the day, with used EVs fast becoming a consumer bargain, and some new EVs, such as the Vauxhall Frontera, achieving exact price parity with their petrol counterparts.
With the UK government confirming that the ZEV mandate will be brought forward from 2035 to 2030, this survey shows that the need for the industry to continue fighting the fear, uncertainty, and doubt associated with EVs by some consumers, for this date to remain achievable.
Colin Walker, Head of Transport at the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, commented on the results:
“Poll after poll has found EV drivers love their cars and simply wouldn’t go back to petrol. But all the myths being pedaled about EVs are misleading some petrol car drivers who now have a really poor knowledge of electric cars. For example they don’t realise that a petrol car costs a lot more to own and run over its lifetime than an electric car – a ‘petrol premium’ that can leave them hundreds of pounds out of pocket every year. The constant stream of EV misinformation is clearly causing confusion, and holding many of the UK’s drivers back from making the switch to cleaner and cheaper electric driving,
The car industry is going to have to get serious about EV misinformation and the new government will need to ask if it has a role to play too.”
