- Cox Automotive Europe has published its latest UK-specific electric vehicle report, outlining the current state of EV adoption in the country.
- There are still several barriers, whether perceived or real, to EV adoption among many consumers, and many of these barriers are not unique to the UK.
- Let’s dive into Cox Automotive Europe’s new report, picking out the key findings for the industry.
What needs to change for the UK’s EV industry ahead of the 2030 mandate?
This article is sponsored by Cox Automotive Europe.
The UK is now less than five years away from its 2030 ZEV mandate. From 2030, the sale of new passenger cars powered solely by combustion engines will be outlawed, with a five-year extension for hybrids until 2035. This puts the UK on a more ambitious path than its EU neighbours, which will now allow a proportion of new combustion passenger cars to be sold after 2035.
The UK’s target may be commendable, but is it achievable? A new UK EV survey carried out by Cox Automotive Europe surveyed 2,008 UK drivers, helping to address two key topics: firstly, who is driving EVs in the UK in 2026, and secondly, highlighting consumer perceptions of EVs and identifying the perceptions that may be affecting wider adoption.
You can read the full report from Cox Automotive Europe, here.
Where are we now?
Before diving into the findings of the research, let’s take a look at the UK’s EV market as it stands. Approximately 5.2% of all cars on the road are fully-electric, whilst nearly 1 in 4 new passenger cars sold are fully-electric models.
Cox Automotive Europe’s data also shows a significant age gap amongst current EV owners. The 24-35 age group is the largest group here, whilst ownership significantly drops off for those over 44 years old.
Mental vs physical barriers
Over the last few years, we’ve seen many of the physical barriers to EV adoption being broken down. Many EVs are now just as affordable to purchase as their ICE counterparts – the Vauxhall Frontera Electric being a case in point. The growth of the public charging network, along with big improvements to battery technology, have also wiped away much of the ‘range anxiety’ concern.
However, a key theme for 2026 is mental, or perceived, barriers to EV adoption – which Cox Automotive Europe references in its report. As an example, 86% of EV owners surveyed within this study believed that EV ownership ‘felt’ more expensive than ICE ownership.
This is despite the fact that, when broken down into specific aspects of EV ownership, drivers had fewer concerns. For example, just 19% of EV drivers found that service and maintenance costs were a concern, compared to 46% of non-EV drivers. Meanwhile, 23% of EV drivers believed monthly/upfront costs were a concern, compared to 53% of non-EV drivers.
EV battery confidence
Concerns around the longevity of EV batteries is one of the biggest examples of ‘perceived’ barriers to EV ownership. Again, EV experience plays a role here, with only 23% of EV owners worrying about battery lifespan, compared to 46% of EV test-drivers, and 60% of non-EV drivers.
Much of this concern comes around the perception that EV batteries need to be replaced after just a few years – but recent research suggests that even high-mileage EVs still have batteries with much of their original capacity.
First-hand EV experience leads to improved EV perception
Cox Automotive Europe’s report also finds that among non-EV drivers, many of these perceived concerns can be wiped away once these drivers have experienced an electric vehicle for the first time. One key statistic from the report corroborates this narrative: around 63% of EV test-drivers, who don’t yet own an EV, were likely to buy an electric car as their next vehicle. That dropped to 24% for non-EV drivers who had no real-life experience with driving an electric car.
Total costs of ownership (TCO) – removing the confusion
There are already numerous costs that factor into the EV vs ICE cost equation, and it could become a more complex equation in the future with the announcement of a pay-per-mile tax for electric vehicles.
The report also recommends that OEMs create clear TCO charts for their EV products which include every possible cost, such as ULEZ/CAZ charges and Vehicle Excise Duty, to allow consumers to make an informed and clear decision about whether an EV will be a more affordable option for them.
That also extends to ensuring EV subsidies are clear to see. For instance, if an EV is eligible for the full £3,750 Electric Car Grant, OEMs and retailers should make sure that fact is front-of-house, rather than something the buyer has to search around to discover. Some OEMs have already made this step, with advertising showing the price of an EV after the Electric Car Grant has been applied.
Conclusion
With the UK planning to outlaw the sale of new pure combustion passenger cars by 2030, ensuring that all drivers are confident in making the switch is crucial for this target to be achievable. There are already clear signs that EV confidence is rising, with high satisfaction among current EV owners, and from those who have test driven an EV for the first time.
Clearly, the onus is now on retailers and OEMs to provide ample and pressure-free test driving opportunities for EVs – and it’s clear that some OEMs are already on that path, with the offer of EV test drives, up to 72 hours in length in some cases.
Those customer interactions also need to be backed up with education, including the potential cost savings of EV ownership, as well as mythbusting in areas such as EV battery longevity, whilst offering battery warranties that reflect this.
Our write-up has only just scratched the surface of the details within the research, however. You can read the full report from Cox Automotive Europe, here.
