Electric car ‘myths’ are putting drivers off from making the switch – survey

Many drivers are being put off the idea of electric motoring because of “myths” about the vehicles, a new survey suggests.

Chargepoint supplier char.gy, which commissioned the research, said electric vehicles (EVs) are “rapidly outpacing” traditionally-fuelled models on performance and value.

The company commissioned YouGov to survey 1,005 UK drivers and 206 EV drivers.

Some 71% of respondents who do not drive an EV said their biggest concern about them was range anxiety, which is the fear that an EV could run out of charge mid-journey.

This is despite “significant improvements” in EV range since the first models were brought to market, according to char.gy.

Another common reason for unease about EVs is purchase price (62%), even though the average cost of a used EV has dropped by more than a fifth since 2023 and is expected to fall another 28% by 2030, the company said.

More than three out of five (63%) non-owners say cheaper charging would persuade them to switch, the poll indicated.

Some 72% of respondents who are not considering an EV at all said they do not know where they would charge one.

John Lewis, chief executive of char.gy, said: “EVs aren’t a distant future anymore: they’re here, they’re affordable and they’re rapidly outpacing combustion cars on performance and value.

“But the data shows the biggest barrier isn’t the vehicles, it’s the stories we tell about them.

“If we can debunk the myths and meet people where they are, especially at the kerbside, we’ll accelerate this transition faster and fairer.”

Ginny Buckley, broadcaster and founder of EV advice website Electrifying.com, said: “The shift to electric vehicles is no longer a question of if, but when.

“Yet, as this report so clearly shows, the barriers to adoption are not just technical; they’re psychological, practical and deeply human.

“Misconceptions persist, access remains unequal, and for too many drivers the EV future still feels out of reach.”

Tanya Sinclair, chief executive of lobby group Electric Vehicles UK, said: “Correcting common EV myths can boost willingness to consider an electric car by 12%.

“Everyone in e-mobility has heard the myths. We tend to dismiss them as noise, but repeated often enough, they shape real decisions.”