Electric cars are great, but not for everyone

I couldn’t be happier with the unexpected early Christmas present on offer to me, you and millions of other motorists.

The gift is from an unlikely individual – an in-touch bloke called Manfred Weber, who leads the largest gaggle of MEPs at the European Parliament. Thanks mainly to him, the proposed 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars in mainland Europe now looks almost certain to be delayed. And although this, in theory, has absolutely nothing to do with the clueless British Government’s go-it-alone plan/scam/sham to outlaw such vehicles in Blighty by 2030, I now believe that date is pure fiction.

As much as they’d like to ignore the state of play today, they can’t deny that it goes a bit like this…  

Pure electric cars are – and always will be – for some, not all, drivers. The sooner everyone acknowledges and accepts this irrefutable fact, the better. And while we’re at it, let’s also admit that the initial, major, oft-mentioned sales pitch about dirt-cheap recharging and running costs for such vehicles is, for countless drivers, utterly unachievable. How come? Because many – possibly most – public charging stations have wretchedly unfair, unclear, rip-off pricing policies. 

So why do so many consumers use these disgracefully overpriced places? Because they don’t and can’t have their own, cheaper charging points when living in, for example, apartment blocks or narrow streets full of terraced homes. Also, Octopus Energy is now reducing the amount of ‘cheap’ off-peak hours it’s offering its EV customers. Brilliant!

As I’ve repeatedly said, petrol-electric hybrid cars have been hitting the sweet spot for years – whether they’re of the cheap, mild variety, far more expensive plug-in hybrids, or somewhere in between. Hybrids are the simplest, most flexible and least stressful way to enjoy fuel-efficient motoring this year and for many years – possibly decades – to come. 

As for generally happy drivers of pure-petrol (and, to a lesser extent, diesel and LPG) models, they continue to be very content with their traditional cars with lower tech, and many are vowing to stick with them. Can you blame them? As someone who objects to politicians telling me what I should or shouldn’t buy, own and drive, I certainly don’t. 

Politicians needlessly, stupidly and arrogantly embarked on an undemocratic crusade to rob people of their right to buy new cars powered by internal-combustion engines (while simultaneously trying to bludgeon us into models with electric motors). And surprise, surprise, their campaign has flopped. Thus Europe’s 2035 ban is now likely to be delayed until 2040 at the earliest. If the clueless UK Government stubbornly sticks with 2030, Brits will just pop over to France or Belgium to buy their ICE cars in the 2030s and possibly even into the 2040s. And why the hell shouldn’t they? 

Since I wrote this column, the European Union has confirmed that it is axing its 2035 ban on the sale of brand new petrol and diesel cars. (See separate news story). At the same time, the UK Government has vowed to stick with its go-it-alone 'policy' to outlaw such vehicles from 2030. These game-changing political developments in recent days pave the way for the motorists of Britain to place orders for and take delivery of their factory-fresh right-hand drive [correct] petrol and diesel cars from mainland Europe dealerships in the 2030s...and beyond, possibly. In the new year I'll be talking more - much, much more - about this EU-inspired stay of execution for combustion cars and the car retailing revolution that will surely follow when Brit buyers are prevented from buying on home soil, while effectively being encouraged to buy on the Continent. Madness.     

Whether you're sticking with engines or switching to electric, our nationwide dealer network has some fantastic cars on offer right now with new, used and leasing deals to choose from...