Lower cost is the biggest motivating factor

• Over four-fifths (86%) of EV drivers would stick with an electric vehicle over a petrol or diesel vehicle if they had to make the decision again
• Major new survey by leading independent leasing, fleet management and vehicle outsourcing business Zenith finds that satisfaction levels amongst EV drivers are much higher than their diesel or petrol counterparts

• EV company car and salary sacrifice drivers cite the Government’s support of Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax and low running costs as the ‘best things’ about the EV experience
• While some drivers still have charging and range anxiety, the vast majority charge at home and drive for short to medium distances

Zenith, the UK’s leading independent leasing fleet management and vehicle outsourcing company, has today launched the Zenith EVXperience (EVX) Report: the largest ever survey of UK electric vehicle (EV) drivers looking at their actual lived experience of driving an EV.

The EVX report, which surveyed over 3,100 of Zenith’s EV customers, found that EV drivers are overwhelmingly satisfied with their experience across six Key Experience Indicators (KEIs).¹

Equivalent questions were also asked to a separate sample of petrol and diesel drivers – revealing that EV drivers are much more satisfied with their driving experience than petrol or diesel drivers across every KEI. Overall, the satisfaction level amongst all KEIs for EV drivers came to a ‘highly satisfied’ 8.4/10, compared to 7.0/10 for petrol and diesel drivers.

The most significant differences come down to cost, with EV drivers rating the cost of running their vehicle 8.5/10, compared to 5.8/10 for petrol or diesel drivers.

Indeed, the vast majority (86%) of drivers would still opt for an EV over a petrol or diesel vehicle if they had to make the decision again.

Cost savings trump environmental concerns for EV drivers

Whilst environmental motivations often dominate the headlines for encouraging EV uptake, the survey revealed that cost savings are actually the biggest motivating factor for EV drivers.

Almost half (47%) of company car drivers and almost a third (31%) of salary sacrifice drivers said that cost savings were the best thing about the EV experience, citing the government’s support of Benefit-in-Kind tax (BiK) as the number one point.

For those with a personal lease vehicle, 30% said that low running costs were the best thing about the experience.

Environmental benefits instead came in as the second most common response, with 23% of company car, 25% of salary sacrifice drivers and 27% of personal lease drivers citing it as the number one best thing.

Charging anxiety remains, but most drivers are taking short trips

Concerns about the UK’s charging infrastructure and range anxiety are often discussed as common irritations for EV drivers. However, the survey revealed that the majority of EV drivers take shorter journeys, likely on a single charge, with just 15% of drivers mainly using their EV for longer trips (over 60 miles).

When asked to rank the number one worst thing about the EV experience, the most popular response was limited range, with just over a fifth (22%) of respondents citing it. A similar number (21%) ranked the need to plan for where to charge away from home, and 21% pointed to an unreliable charging network as the worst point.

Almost a quarter (24%) found charging availability worse than expected, but 45% found it as expected and almost a third (31%) better than expected.

Despite concerns about the cost of public charging, the majority (61%) of drivers choose to primarily charge off-street at home, with just 9% primarily using the public charging network as their main energy source.

Positively, EV drivers are optimistic about the development of the charging network, with 86% of those polled confident that EV infrastructure will improve over the next three years.