A third of Britons set to make switch to electric cars Almost one in three drivers is considering an electric car as their next vehicle but fears over costs and a […]

Almost one in three drivers is considering an electric car as their next vehicle but fears over costs and a lack of information are still putting many buyers off.

New figures show that 29 per cent of UK motorists are considering making the switch from a conventionally fuelled vehicle to a zero-emissions one or replacing one electric vehicle with another.

As new tax rules punish drivers of all but the lowest-polluting vehicles and cities around the country consider charging drivers of older, more polluting vehicles for using their roads there has been a rapid growth in interest in electric and other ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV).

The i newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

Industry figures for the first quarter of this year show that sales of alternative fuel vehicles, including all-electric and hybrid engined cars, have risen by 29.9 per cent over the same period in 2016, and now account for a larger share of the market than ever, with 33,405 alternative fuel cars sold.

“ULEVs not only save consumers money in the long run, but are better for the environment, yet awareness around the benefits of these vehicles is relatively low” Andrew Benfield, Energy Saving Trust

However, a poll of drivers found that fears over costs, access to charging points and a general lack of information was still putting many motorists off making the switch.

Almost half (44 per cent) of those who said they were not interested in ULEVs said that cost was their major concern and one in ten said that the Government needed to offer more incentives to convince drivers to switch. The Government currently offers grants of up to £4,500 towards ULEVs and funds up to 75 per cent of the cost of installing home charging points.

Even more (48 per cent) said they were still worried about driving range and a shortage of charging points, despite vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf, Renault Zoe and Tesla Model S now offer in excess of 150 miles on a single charge and there being more than 12,000 charging points across the UK.

And almost a third said that a lack of information was also putting them off opting for a ULEV.

Neil Addley, managing director of NFDA Trusted Dealers which commissioned the survey, said: “Our research has revealed that a significant number of car buyers are now seriously considering low emission vehicles for their next car, but are at a loss on where to start. On the Trusted Dealers site we have seen more green cars filtering through to the used car market, with more than 200 vehicles listed on our site.”

Addley’s association has teamed up the Energy Saving Trust to run a series of roadshows at dealers around the country aimed at clearing up some of the confusion and myths around ULEVs.

Andrew Benfield, group director of transport at the Energy Saving Trust, added: “Our work has shown that ULEVs not only save consumers money in the long run, but are better for the environment when it comes to energy use, yet awareness around the benefits of these vehicles is relatively low. Our partnership with Trusted Dealers will allow us to speak directly to consumers and debunk common misconceptions about green cars. We want to give drivers the real facts to about ULEVs so they can consider one as their next vehicle.”

The roadshows come as the Government announced £62 million of funding to help develop low- carbon technology in the UK.

The money is going to the Coventry-based Advanced Propulsion Centre, comprising BMW Motorsport, New Holland Agriculture, Jaguar Land Rover, Williams Advanced Engineering, Penso Consulting, Ford Motor Company and Westfield Sportscars. The initiative aims to save 50 million tonnes of CO2 by 2023.