Yesterday, prices at fuel pumps hit record highs across the UK. This was another blow to British residents with the cost-of-living crisis continuing at speed. With such rises, driving an electric vehicle (EV) makes more sense than ever.
The initial higher purchase cost of an electric car, compared to its internal combustion engine (ICE) equivalent, is often seen as a barrier to adoption. With savings from running costs, less need for servicing and the overall savings during an electric car’s lifetime could soon change opinions.
This, combined with the expected fall of prices of zero-emissions vehicles in the coming years, will make electric cars a more viable option to a much wider audience, especially once the purchase price is similar to their ICE equivalents. Plus, since the pandemic, people have become more aware of sustainability and a greener future, which is the biggest bonus of driving a battery electric vehicle (BEV).
Despite the current discrepancies in price between electric and ICE vehicles, there are still many affordable electric cars and the secondhand market is growing. If the initial outlay is too big, then there are other ways of driving a zero-emissions vehicle, such as leasing from companies like Leaseplan and Onto.
The advantages of driving an electric car were also highlighted to a wider audience during the fuel crisis in the UK back in September 2021. carwow, the UK’s leading car marketplace, saw a sharp increase in sales of new plug-in cars during this month. An impressive 21 percent of all car sales concluded via its website and app during September were for battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
Auto Trader also saw a huge spike in electric car searches because of fuel anxiety in the UK during this time. It will be interesting to see if there’s another surge in electric vehicle searches from British consumers.
Erin Baker, Auto Trader editorial director, said: “Yesterday, the cost-of-living crisis hit new lows as fuel prices reach record highs. With little to no indication of when they’ll fall its reason enough to look at the fuel efficiency in your current and next car. Electric vehicles are a great option to keep daily running costs down.”
