Unsure about electric cars? Don’t let others make up your mind

’Tis the season to make merry and move people about. A time of the year when I’m reminded just how lucky I am being able to drive brand-new, option-laden cars as part of my job. I’ve often found that, as I collect friends and family over the festive period, they’re wowed by the comfort, clear infotainment and comprehensive safety systems of my various test models. However, more recently I’ve noticed a different reaction specifically to electric cars. Those initial smiles that were accompanied by oohs and aahs quickly turn to scepticism, before passengers launch a well worn attack on EVs using an armoury of second-hand opinions.

I’ve never read Giles Coren’s column about his malfunctioning Jaguar I-Pace, yet I almost know it off by heart because it regularly gets used as a stick to beat whichever car I’m driving at the time. Don’t get me wrong – there is no EV evangelism here on my part. I’m not the Billy Graham of plug-in power. I’ve had back-to-back three-month spells testing a petrol-powered MINI Countryman then the all-electric version, and I’m still on the fence about which I’d choose. The final decision will surface in an upcoming report, but my point is that I have at least tested both and feel able to make an informed choice based on my own circumstances.

With some relatives, they’ve reached their opinion based on zero experience of EVs. I believe that, in some cases, they feel the internal-combustion engine will outlive them, so why switch? This is a perfectly reasonable view – and one I’d respect if folk were upfront about it, rather than trotting out the same old clichés as excuses not to engage with EVs, however rooted in fact they may feel these are.

The irony – and serious problem for car makers – is that my parents’ generation is more likely to be able to afford to buy an EV, charge it at home on a private driveway, and do the kind of mileage that wouldn’t trouble the UK charging network in any way.

The point of all this? When it comes to electric cars, I’d urge my friends, relatives and all other motorists not to take anyone else’s word on whether they’re good, bad or ugly; get out and take a test drive yourself. New and used-car dealerships will welcome you with open arms, there’s no obligation to buy one, and at the very least you get to play with the latest in-car tech and reach a decision based on what is available, how far it will go, and whether or not it could possibly work for you. Just know that I’ll be far happier to engage in conversation if you try before you die.

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