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The majority of electric vehicle drivers won’t use their battery-powered cars for longer journeys – and half have a petrol or diesel model as a back-up for when they need to complete trips over bigger distances, a poll suggests.

Owners don’t feel comfortable relying on their electric cars or the charging network when undertaking trips in excess of 60 miles, the survey of 2,800 EV users by leasing company Zenith revealed. 

Fewer than one in five of the panel of UK-based EV drivers said they use them for longer trips.

And their fallback of having a second car powered by a combustion engine ‘could be holding back the EV transition’, the report said.

EV owners can't fully rely on their battery cars for longer journeys: Half of EV owners have a second petrol of diesel vehicle in the household they use for bigger trips

EV owners can’t fully rely on their battery cars for longer journeys: Half of EV owners have a second petrol of diesel vehicle in the household they use for bigger trips

Official figures show that the one millionth EV entered Britain’s roads in January as the uptake of battery cars continued to rise.

However, electric car purchases by private buyers on a year-on-year basis fell by a quarter (25.1 per cent) last month, as waning consumer demand persisted.

Instead, it is fleet registrations that are propping up Britain’s EV sales stats, driven by low company car tax rates of just 2 per cent and the availability of salary sacrifice schemes through employers. 

Zenith’s new report shows 51 per cent of those who have switched to EVs – which now represents over 500,000 motorists – still have a second vehicle which has either a petrol or diesel engine under the bonnet.

The vast majority (73 per cent) of these people with a two-car garage consisting of one EV and one combustion-engine car said they have no plans to get rid of the latter to go fully electric any time soon.

As such, the leasing company said the UK’s ‘two-car family’ could slow down the wider transition to battery vehicles, as many look set to retain their petrols and diesels as a back-up.

Half of customers with EVs told the leasing provider that they drive their plug-in vehicles only for short trips of up to 30 miles, while only 18 per cent use them for longer trips – defined by Zenith as those over 60 miles.

A quarter of EV adopters said they are ‘not confident’ doing longer trips in these cars, with the most common reasons cited being unreliable public charging (36 per cent) and range anxiety (34 per cent).

In fact, limited range was the number one concern for EV drivers, with a quarter  finding the real-world range of their vehicle is worse than they expected and had been promised by ‘official’ manufacturer figures, and a similar proportion (24 per cent) highlighting how the charging experience wasn’t up to their standards they had expected. 

That said, the study also revealed that 86 per cent who have switched to an EV would not exclusively go back to petrol or diesel ownership, while the vast majority (86 per cent) are confident charging infrastructure will improve over the next three years, increasing the likelihood of them taking on longer journeys in an electric car in the future.

The leasing company says the UK's 'two-car family' could slow down the wider transition to battery vehicles, as many look set to retain a petrol or diesel as a back-up

The leasing company says the UK’s ‘two-car family’ could slow down the wider transition to battery vehicles, as many look set to retain a petrol or diesel as a back-up

Range and experience with charging are two of the biggest issues for EV drivers, according to the Zenith report

Range and experience with charging are two of the biggest issues for EV drivers, according to the Zenith report

EV drivers want big SUVs and are moving away from Tesla

Another major finding from Zenith’s study is that large SUVs are becoming increasingly popular among electric car buyers.

Of the 26 different models owned by the respondents, the Kia e-Niro/Niro EV and Audi E-tron were among the top five most common.

This is likely due to these types of vehicle having larger batteries, which in turn means longer ranges from a single charge. 

The Zenith report found that there is a strong appetite in the UK for SUV-style electric vehicles (like the Audi e-tron pictured), rather than motorists opting for smaller model. This is likely due to their bigger batteries and therefore longer ranges on a single charge

The Zenith report found that there is a strong appetite in the UK for SUV-style electric vehicles (like the Audi e-tron pictured), rather than motorists opting for smaller model. This is likely due to their bigger batteries and therefore longer ranges on a single charge

The poll also found that, while Tesla remains the preferred brand overall, there has been a decline in the number of drivers choosing Tesla vehicles. 

This suggests a growing willingness among drivers to explore different brands, reflecting the expanding range of available electric vehicle options.

Tim Buchan, chief executive at Zenith, said: ‘Since our first EVX report in February 2023, we’ve seen a five-year delay to the 2030 deadline, motorway ultra-rapid charging targets being missed, and increased misinformation about the EV driving experience. 

‘It’s not surprising that the latest intake of EV drivers are coming to the EV world with less confidence than the first generation of adoptees.

‘It’s clear from our research that there’s still anxiety about travelling longer distances, so while it’s great to see so many drivers starting their EV journey with larger SUV models, typically ‘family’ cars, there remains a reluctance to becoming a fully electric household.

‘We know EVs are the future of mobility, so we hope more work is done on providing certainty, starting with the government confirming its commitment to net zero with measures that support drivers to make the transition, and additional investment in our charging infrastructure, so it has a chance to catch up with consumer needs.’

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