A recent consumer survey revealed that around half of all UK drivers know someone who owns an EV or own one themselves.
Reports show that EVs are becoming more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective than ever. But just how much better are they, and do sales numbers reflect their benefits? Here, we break down the latest research on the advantages EVs have over petrol and diesel vehicles.
The costs
The cost of purchasing an EV is on a downward trajectory and has been for some time, owing to the plummeting cost of EV batteries; a recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) showed that the average price of a battery pack for an electric car has now fallen below US$100 per kWh, which has been noted as a key milestone for bringing EVs to cost parity with internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. Furthermore, research by Green Match has shown that the cost gap between purchasing a new EV and a new ICE car is narrowing significantly, with the average price of a new EV in the UK in 2025 sitting at around £36,000 compared to £32,000 for a new ICE vehicle, and Green Match forecasts that the cost of a new EV could dip below that of a new ICE vehicle at some point in 2025.
Moreover, when lifetime insurance and maintenance costs are considered, EVs represent a cost saving for drivers in the long term. Research from industry body Electric Vehicles UK (EVUK) and independent researchers New AutoMotive found that around 80% of drivers would save money over the lifetime of a vehicle by swapping to an EV, with the average driver able to save £5,580 by making the switch to electric.
For fleet operators and commercial and business purposes, the costs saved by switching to an electrified fleet could have a significant positive impact on the company balance sheet; a recent report by Mer noted that some fleet managers have reported savings of up to 30% from running an EV van fleet compared to the cost of running a fleet of ICE vehicles.
Lifespan and reliability
Research published in the journal Nature has revealed that the average lifespan of EVs is catching up to or, in some cases, surpassing that of ICE cars. The paper, authored by an international team of researchers from the University of Birmingham, the London School of Economics, the University of California San Diego and the University of Bern, Switzerland, examined over 300 million MOT test records of EVs and of petrol and diesel cars. It found that the average EV has a lifespan of around 18.4 years, compared to 18.7 years for petrol cars and 16.8 years for diesel cars.
Additionally, EVs were found to have clocked significantly more miles than their petrol counterparts; the study’s authors show that a petrol car will log around 116,000 miles over its expected 18.7-year lifespan, with an EV clocking 124,207 miles in its 18.4-year driving life.
Furthermore, EVs are less prone to breakdown than ICE vehicles; a study from Smart Rescue noted that EVs are around 59% less likely to require a breakdown call out than ICE vehicles. The same survey found that EVs are less likely to suffer from a flat battery than their ICE counterparts, despite the fact that EV batteries both power the vehicle itself alongside the auxiliary functions powered by the battery in an ICE vehicle; flat battery callouts account for 23.7% of roadside assistance call outs for EVs, compared to 29.7% for ICE vehicles.
Charging ahead
Arguably the biggest misconception about EV usage, certainly in the UK, is that public chargepoints are hard to find. It’s an irritatingly pervasive belief, and one that is holding back the EV transition somewhat; a study by E.ON revealed that 62% of those they surveyed had concerns about switching to an EV due to a perceived lack of chargepoints in their area.
The rollout of chargepoints across the UK is actually going remarkably well: a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) has shown that the nation is on track to meet its 2030 target for public EV chargepoint installations, and statistics published last week by EV chargepoint mapping company Zapmap revealed that the UK has surpassed a crucial milestone with over 75,000 public chargepoints installed.
What does remain an issue is the availability of chargepoints in rural or remote areas, although significant efforts are being made to address this. Chargepoint operator Believ has been at the forefront of installing chargepoints in even the most distant locations, having last year installed a new free-to-use chargepoint in the village of Awsworth, Nottinghamshire, and more recently partnered with a hotel in Scotland to install the UK’s northern-most ultra-rapid EV chargepoint in the Scottish Highlands.
What’s next?
Concerns about high costs, reliability and limited charging infrastructure don’t hold up in the face of the latest research. EVs are becoming more affordable, with lower running costs than ICE cars. As the auto industry evolves, it’s clear that while progress still needs to be made, many of the fears and doubts around EVs in the public’s minds are overblown.
While the research surrounding EVs is proving that they have significant benefits over their ICE counterparts, the pervasive nature of the myths surrounding this technology points towards a larger problem: awareness. While the facts are clear, this message is clearly not reaching the people, as finance and performance concerns remain a key barrier in the effort to encourage more people to switch.
One possible solution could lie in the heart of government. Since taking office, energy secretary Ed Miliband has been incredibly active in busting myths about the impact of solar energy developments on farmland, as reported by our sister site Solar Power Portal, with significant success. Arguably, this example could be taken forward by his parliamentary colleague Heidi Alexander, the current secretary of state for transport; perhaps some public outreach from her could ensure that the strong body of research surrounding the positive impact of EVs is communicated to the British public and the EV transition can move forward.
