Multi-car households would benefit from EV ownership

10 July 2019

Electric vehicle (EV) ownership is the right choice for at least 1.5 million UK households, according to new research by What Car? magazine.

The figure represents the number of multi-car homes in the country with a combination of off-street parking and at least one vehicle that never completes more than 100 miles in a single journey, and the research highlights that for some, EV ownership could be beneficial.

The magazine found that 17% of multi-car households that it surveyed had a vehicle that covered shorter distances. Overlaying this with the 88% who said they had off-street parking, which could be used to charge a vehicle, What Car? calculated that 1.56 million households, of the 27 million in the UK, could convert to a pure electric vehicle without any compromises.

To further support arguments for purchasing an EV, the magazine found that of the readers who already have a vehicle powered by batteries, alongside traditional internal combustion models, two-thirds use it as the main vehicle over the fossil-fuel alternative.

Range boost

There are no fewer than 19 different battery electric vehicle (BEV) models due to hit UK showrooms in 2019, giving consumers a widening variety of choice. Carmakers are pursuing the technology to meet strict CO2 emissions targets laid out by the EU Commission, which they are struggling with after the collapse of the diesel market.

Electric car range varies according to battery size and What Car?‘s Real Range testing has measured 18 EVs with ranges from 57 miles to 259 miles. All but three of the 15 cars tested have a Real Range over 100 miles.

Prices for new EVs with a range exceeding 100 miles start from around £18,000 (€20,000) when purchased with a separate battery lease, or £24,500 (€27,200) with the battery included.

To the end of June this year, 11,975 BEV models were registered in the UK, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This represents a 60.3% increase over the first six months of 2018. However, this still only represents a 0.9% share of the new car market and of the 38 million vehicles currently registered in the UK, only around 72,000 are battery powered.

New models are being launched with increasing frequency, which suggests that exponential growth will continue, although What Car?‘s research also highlighted that perception of electric car ownership still lags a long way behind the reality for the majority of motorists.