Alternative Vehicle Power Gains Traction in U.K.

Alternatively fueled vehicles are on a roll in the U.K. with a new poll finding 65% of respondents indicating they would consider buying at least one of the most common forms of AFVs, such as hybrid car, plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle.

U.K. pollster Populus surveyed 2,025 adults on behalf of ContractHireAndLeasing.com and found conventional hybrids such as the Toyota Prius were the most popular choice among AFVs, with 19% of all respondents indicating they would consider buying such a vehicle within the next two years.

Cars powered by liquid propane gas and plug-in hybrids each were named by 12% of those surveyed. Hydrogen fuel-cell cars attracted as much interest as all-electric cars, with 11% each, even though the U.K. has no commercially available hydrogen-powered cars yet. All-electric cars have been widely available for four years.

Some 35% say they would not consider buying or leasing an alternative-fuel car.

All-electric cars were received much more warmly in the Northeast U.K., where 18% of respondents indicated an interest in EVs. The region is one of the first to develop a network of public chargers and is home to Nissan’s Sunderland plant, where the all-electric Leaf has been built since March 2013.

Younger generations were found to be more positive about alternative-fuel vehicles, with the 18-24 age group the most likely to consider a plug-in hybrid, hydrogen-fueled car or all-electric car. Those in the 25-34 age group were most likely to consider a non-rechargeable hybrid.

ContractHireAndLeasing.com Managing Director Dave Timmis says U.K. motorists appear increasingly interested in AFVs as they look for vehicles which are cost-effective to run.

“Particularly in the contract-hire sector, customers are more able to overlook the typically high price tags of some of the newest alternative-fuel vehicles and focus on tax and fuel-efficiency benefits they offer,” Timmis says in a statement.