NFU Mutual: Survey shows 45% of British car owners do not consider buying electric cars in the next decade

According to foreign media reports, a new study shows that almost half of British car owners would not consider buying an electric car because they are worried about the vehicle's range and charging convenience. The research conducted by insurance company NFU Mutual on more than 1,000 British people found that 45% of respondents said they would not consider replacing their gasoline or diesel car with an electric car in the next decade.

Among all the respondents, 58% said that the range was the main reason why they did not consider buying an electric car, and 58% mentioned the lack of charging stations. In addition, about 44% of the respondents said that the long charging time was also one of the main reasons for not buying an electric car.

However, 29% of respondents said they would consider buying an electric car within the next five years, and 16% said they would consider buying an electric car within the next ten years. Meanwhile, 7% said they would consider buying a hybrid car, but not a pure electric car.

The uneven distribution of charging stations has led to different attitudes towards electric vehicles among consumers in different regions. Only 47% of respondents in London said that the lack of charging stations was the main reason for them to give up electric vehicles, while in the east of England, this figure rose to 70%; in Wales and Northern Ireland, the proportion of respondents who gave up electric vehicles due to the lack of charging stations was 68% and 65% respectively.

The situation is similar for range anxiety, with 48% of Londoners giving up on buying an electric car due to concerns about range, compared with 72% in East England, 70% in Wales, 69% in South West England and 68% in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Chalk, motor insurance expert at NFU Mutual, said: “Another exciting aspect of this research is that 52% of Brits would consider buying an electric or hybrid car in the next decade. Although the vast majority of people would not consider switching to an electric car at present, we believe that if charging infrastructure continues to grow at the current rate, especially in less densely populated areas, more and more people will begin to accept electric vehicles.”

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