Charge anxiousness overtakes vary as largest barrier to EV adoption

Anxiety over charging is now the biggest barrier to EV adoption, new research shows.

Concern the public charging infrastructure is inadequate has overtaken range anxiety as the biggest barrier to electric car uptake amongst private car buyers, ahead of cost and quality.

Nearly two fifths of private car buyers cited worries about charging infrastructure as the main reason they aren’t considering choosing a pure electric car, an exclusive survey by What Car? revealed.

A recent poll by leading EV charge point app ZapMap found that the public charging network is as important as ever.

Half of EV owners using public charging at least once a month, even when they have a homecharger installed at their residence.

While the average satisfaction rating for the UK’s public charging network in ZapMap’s research was just 64 out of 100, three in five respondents said that public charging had improved in the past year.

Concern that the public charging infrastructure is inadequate has overtaken range anxiety as the biggest barrier to electric car uptake amongst private car buyers

The second biggest concern for the 2,000 drivers who responded was the high cost of new EVs with 34 per cent saying it was the biggest hurdle, according to the What Car? survey.

Meanwhile range slipped down to third place in the barrier ranking, as it was the main concern for only 25 per cent of buyers.

Overall buyers are open to buying an EV with only one in seven of those in the market to replace their car in the next year saying they will never buy electric.

However, to get many buyers over the finish line the Government will need to step in: 61 per cent of people would consider an electric vehicle if the Government implemented one of four financial incentives.

Buyers are open to buying an EV with only one in seven of those in the market to replace their car in the next year saying they will never buy electric, What Car? research found

Claire Evans, What Car? consumer editor, said: ‘It is now critical that the Government takes action to encourage people to switch to EVs.’

The most popular of those actions (chosen by 18 per cent of respondents) would be to make public EV charging cheaper by reducing the VAT from 20 per cent to 5 per cent.

This would bring costs in line with VAT on domestic electricity, which would remove the ‘driveway divide’ between those with homechargers and those without off-street parking facilities at their properties and are therefore reliant on the public network.

The second most persuasive incentive would be the reintroduction of a Government grant for EV buyers.

Some 16 per cent of the panel said this would incentivise them to go electric.

Another 15 per cent said they could be enticed if EV were to remain exempt from the £410 annual ‘expensive car’ Vehicle Excise Duty levy.

Owners of electric cars will be forced to pay road taxation from April 2025, though at a much lower rate for brand new purchases. 

However, a study revealed that seven in ten models will be subject to the premium levy on all cars priced over £40,000, which is applicable on top of the standard rate of VED from years two to six.

An overall reduction in electricity prices, enabled by a cut in tax, would incentivise 12 per cent of people to consider an EV as their next motor, the study found.

61% would consider an electric vehicle if the Government implemented one of four financial incentives – from cutting VAT on public charging to reintroducing an EV grant

What Car?’s research also showed that four no-cost measures would encourage half of motorists to make the switch.

Some 27 per cent of people would consider an EV if new public charging legislation was tightened up to make the networks more accountable.

Stating which hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars will be exempt from the reintroduced 2030 ban on non-electric cars would encourage 14 per cent of buyers to go electric, and 8 per cent would be swayed by a limit on the pre-authorisation bank card charges levied by public charging networks.

Evans added: ‘The measures that need to be taken include reducing VAT on public EV charging, speeding up the expansion of the public charging network by removing planning red tape, tightening up legislation on EV networks to ensure they are reliable and introducing financial incentives for EV buyers, such as lower VAT on new cars and low VED rates on all EVs.’