EV owners aren’t keeping their enthusiasm to themselves. Six in ten electric car drivers say they’ve persuaded someone else to switch to an EV, often through something as simple as a lift or a chat about running costs.
And when it comes to making the case for going electric, money does most of the talking. Lower running costs are the go-to argument for 58 per cent of respondents to the survey by Instavolt, ahead of the driving experience on 36 per cent. Environmental benefits are mentioned by 18 per cent, with the convenience of charging at home on 16 per cent.
Among those who said they’d influenced someone else, more than a quarter had persuaded a family member, while friends and colleagues were cited by 17 and 15 per cent respectively. Drivers described everyday conversations and letting a sceptical relative try the car, rather than any formal campaign or incentive.
For Trevor Heley, a 72-year-old retired IT director from Farnham in Surrey, going electric has become something of a family habit. He’s driven an EV for more than five years, while his wife has been driving them since 2014 and is now on her fifth, a Renault 5. Trevor said: “I have also recommended EVs to quite a few people and know that some have already bought one.”
His own route to a fully electric car involved a stop along the way with a Kia Niro plug-in hybrid, before moving to a Kia eNiro – plug-in hybrid models are often cited as a stepping stone towards full EV ownership, with many PHEV owners soon realising they could easily live with an electric car. Trevor now drives a Renault Megane E-Tech Electric, using it for local journeys, weekend trips and holidays, with charging stops along the way or at his destination when needed.
Explaining that first move to a fully electric car, Trevor said, “I planned to switch to an EV before I bought the Niro PHEV, but there were limited options at that time with the range I felt I needed. When the Kia eNiro was launched, I knew it was time to switch, both for economic reasons and out of confidence in EVs as the future of cars.”
At home, solar panels and a home battery allow the couple to top up during the day, while they also charge overnight using discounted Intelligent Octopus rates. Trevor describes having that home set-up as a big advantage, alongside access to public chargers for longer trips.
He’s already thinking about which EV will replace his Renault when the lease ends. Going back to a petrol or diesel car, though, isn’t on the couple’s shopping list.
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