Buyers turned off by electric cars

More than two-thirds of the UK population wouldn't buy an electric car, according to a Parker's survey.

In the survey, 69% of Parker's.co.uk users said that they wouldn't buy an electric car. Of these, 32% claimed the main reason was the limited distance that cars can travel - the furthest is currently 100 miles.

A quarter of those that said they wouldn't buy an electric vehicle (EV) cited the purchase price as the main barrier, despite the Government offering a £5,000 subsidy. Even with this discount the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV will set you back £23,990.

The survey also found that 18% of people wouldn't buy an EV because they don't think they are actually 'green', with another 17% still believing conventional cars are just better.

However, it seems the infrastructure needed isn't seen as a problem - as the lack charging stations wasn't deemed an issue, with just 6% of users claiming this as a problem.

There is also a cost issue concerning these cars. While some consider them to save money on fuel it could take some time before buyers work off the extra cost of buying an electric car based on the running costs compared to an efficient diesel car.

Comparing the cheapest electric car, the Nissan Leaf at £23,990 (after the £5,000 discount), to the SEAT Leon 1.6TDI Ecomotive S - which costs £16,840 - it could take up to 12 and a half years before buyers see any real savings.

Of the 31% of users that said they would buy an electric car, almost half said they would in order to save money on fuel costs and a third of people questioned said that they would buy purely on the basis that these vehicles are the future for cost effective motoring and looking after the environment.

The Parker's survey questioned more than 500 users about their views on electric cars.

Want to know more about electric cars use Parker's electric vehicle guide for all the information.