If electric car buyers thought they were confused, they ain’t seen nothing yet
Confusion and uncertainty haven't helped the UK electric car market and little is likely to change, but it’s a great time to buy and Auto Express is here to help
If you’ve ever tried reading up on quantum-string theory or simultaneously solving three Rubics cubes while also attempting to juggle, you’ll have at least some idea of the brain-scrambling confusion faced by UK electric-car buyers over recent years.
Range anxiety, the chip shortage, depreciation, battery life, environmental impact, charging infrastructure, the ICE ban, the ZEV mandate and, of course, government grants - the electric car space has been a storm of complex issues, conflicting advice, and wild opinions.
Consumers who quite like the idea of an EV have been faced with an almost-weekly reason to seriously doubt that they’d be making the right decision. Meanwhile, the world wonders why the uptake of electric cars by private buyers has been less than spectacular.
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There is no doubt that prices for new electric cars were way too high a few years ago, but back then the global microchip shortage meant manufacturers were able to sell every EV they could build. Popular models had long waiting lists. Today, that situation has reversed. The ZEV mandate makes selling EVs a priority, so discounts and incentives were rife in the market even before the manufacturers got the Electric Car Grant they’ve been crying out for.
Could the new grant be a watershed moment that clears the uncertainty and means more consumers can confidently buy the EV they’ve been wanting? Yes, and no. There’s more choice than ever with some truly outstanding products and prices falling. But the road to going electric remains a confusing one to navigate.
It will become clear which cars qualify for which level of EV grant on 11 August, but we’ve already seen manufacturers that may not make the cut matching the grant with their own discounts. And just because a car is cheaper thanks to a government grant, won’t always guarantee it’s a good deal. Many EVs on our Find a Car service had discounts bigger than £4,000 before the grant was even announced. To track the latest EV deals, our sister brand, Carwow is running a live hub page.
There are other big questions to answer as well. What will these subsidies of new electric car purchases do to used car values? How will the cost and availability of charging impact life with an electric car over the coming years? Will further advances in EV tech make today’s models quickly seem outdated, as has happened to older electric cars?
Here at Auto Express we are big fans of EVs and huge advocates of helping consumers make the best car-buying decisions. As ever, you’ll find lots of answers to the big electric questions, but we will always strive to give you the informed insight you can trust. Today is a great time to buy an EV, but you must research and shop around to secure yourself the best deal on the right car.
Public charging is very expensive, but if you don’t do many miles it can work. Yet if you can charge at home there are big savings to be made over an equivalent petrol car.
EV tech will continue to advance but pricing levels are equalising with petrol cars, warranties are long and battery failures are rare. Electric-car depreciation has stung a lot of people but the market for used models should settle down, and means there are big bargains to be had on the second-hand market.
More than anything though, most people will love owning today’s fast, quiet, long-range and easy-to-use electric cars. They’re good enough to make a little confusion worthwhile.
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