Few U.K. Consumers Plan BEV Purchase as ICE Ban Looms

The latest consumer research by a pro-battery-electric-vehicle automotive insurer suggests U.K. consumers will not be ready to switch from internal-combustion-engine-powered cars by the end of the decade.

The Green Insurer’s survey of just over 1,000 respondents finds that just 19% would consider buying a BEV.

Conversely, 68% said they expected their next purchase of a new car would have powertrains using gasoline, diesel or hybrid technologies.

This is important in light of the new British government’s pledge to reinstate the 2030 ban on all ICE-powered new vehicles placing the nation ahead of Europe’s ban in 2035 that could still allow ICE using carbon-neutral fuels.

The pro-BEV insurer says this data suggests government needs to boost consumer education about owning a BEV and investing heavily in accelerating public access to charging infrastructure.

However, the survey does highlight the looming threat that vehicle owners in the U.K. will simply hold on to their existing ICE and hybrid vehicles rather than buy new BEVs and the auto industry in the country will see domestic sales fall off a cliff.

This explains Jaguar Land Rover’s decision to convert its Halewood plant in the northwest of England to be able to construct BEVs alongside its ICE and hybrid products.

Similarly, Volvo’s decision to continue to invest in hybrid products beyond the end of the decade maintains its stance to satisfy consumer needs.

For JLR, the potential of losing all new ICE and hybrid vehicle sales in the U.K. after 2030 would be a blow but not a fatal one. While the U.K is its third biggest market, its total sales last year were just 78,041 units against a total global sale of 420,584 vehicles.

So, the company will still retain a strong position as an exporter to countries where ICE powertrains are not expected to be banned.

The U.K. vehicle financing firm, Mann Island Financing, supports a possible stay of execution for hybrid powertrains until 2035, as suggested by some government sources.

“The ZEV (zero-emissions vehicle) mandate is a laudable ambition but broadening its scope to include longer-range hybrid cars, at least for a while, could make the shift to zero-emission driving more affordable and sustainable,” says John Hughes, managing director-Mann Island Financing.

“It would allow extra time for the development of the charging infrastructure and more battery innovation, and it might help to soften the depreciation curves for all used cars that the speed to switch has started to highlight,” Hughes says. “It may also help to preserve jobs in car and component production, which are under pressure across Europe.”