11.5 Million Drivers Missing Out On Cheaper Motoring

• Motorists could save £860 per year in tax and fuel by switching to ultra-low emission vehicles
• 11.5 million motorists don't drive further than 80 miles in a single trip
• A third of drivers have considered purchasing an ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV)
• 61.8% of consumers believe myths surrounding electrically-powered and plug-in hybrid vehicles
• Almost a third believe it is more expensive to buy, own and run a ULEV over five years than a conventional car

Millions of drivers could be missing out on savings of around £860 per year in fuel and tax because myths still exist about running electric and plug-in hybrid cars. The findings are the result of new research released today by Go Ultra Low, a joint initiative by government and the UK automotive industry.

According to the research, around 11.5 million motorists could benefit from the lowest cost, tax-free motoring by switching to pure electric vehicles, because in a typical year they don't drive further than 80 miles in a single trip. Millions more could benefit from other ULEVs, which can travel between 150 and 700 miles between charges thanks to range-boosting petrol and diesel assistance.

Huge potential for electrically-powered cars

The Go Ultra Low research shows that 70% of car owners are planning to change their car within the next four years, while three in ten say they have considered purchasing a ULEV. Two thirds of motorists under the age of 24 have considered a ULEV compared to just a quarter of drivers over 55.

The survey reveals that the majority of motorists still don't fully understand how electrically-powered vehicles work and believe outdated myths across a number of topics, from range and charging to cost and practicality.

Commenting on the findings, motoring journalist Quentin Willson, said, "Ultra low emission vehicles make so much sense, they are cheap to run, hugely practical and now almost every major manufacturer has something to offer. The Go Ultra Low research shows that a host of misconceptions are hampering consumer uptake, and more needs to be done to educate people about the numerous benefits of these vehicles."

Range anxiety persists, despite short journeys

A quarter of motorists misunderstand the range capabilities of ULEVs, with 16% believing electric vehicles are unable to travel 50 miles without recharging. Yet the research also shows that more than a third of drivers said the furthest they drove in a single journey during 2014 was 80 miles or less. With pure-electric vehicles able to travel up to 100 miles on a single charge and other plug-in ULEVs boasting up to 700 miles' range, electrically-powered cars are a viable, low cost option for millions of motorists.

Public understanding lags behind reality

The survey reveals that there is widespread lack of understanding about the speed at which the batteries in ULEVs can be recharged. Nearly 50% of drivers were unaware of rapid-charging facilities that can refuel a vehicle in 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, motorists were well informed about recharging methods and infrastructure, with more than 90% aware that electrically-powered vehicles can be recharged at home and via on-street charge points. However, almost one in ten wrongly believe that electric cars cannot be driven on the motorway, while nearly one in 20 think it's dangerous to recharge them in the rain.

£4,150 savings on fuel and tax over five years

More than one quarter of motorists are of the opinion that ULEVs are more expensive to run than a conventional diesel- or petrol-powered car. This opinion is considerably higher among men (32%) than women (25%). However, despite falling fuel prices in recent months, the cost of fuelling a ULEV remains far cheaper than a petrol or diesel vehicle, being as little as 2p per mile, compared to around 12p per mile for a typical petrol or diesel car – representing a saving of £660 a year for the average motorist.*

Thanks to CO2 emissions of less than 75g/km, all ULEV vehicles are exempt from road tax, yielding potential savings of around £850 compared to the average car on the road over a five year period.

Alex Michaelides, spokesperson for the Go Ultra Low campaign, said: "With more than 8 million families in the UK running two cars or more, pure-electric vehicles are the perfect family run-around, while hybrid and range-extended cars offer great long-distance options. Whereas once there was only a handful of ULEVs on offer and limited recharging infrastructure, today there are all sorts of types and sizes of car, backed-up by a nationwide network of recharging points."

Go Ultra Low is a campaign to help motorists understand the benefits, cost savings and capabilities of the raft of new ultra-low emission vehicles on the market. The collaborative campaign is the first of its kind, bringing together the Department for Transport, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, SMMT and a consortium of leading car manufacturers: Audi, BMW, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Further details are available at www.GoUltraLow.com.

*Based on average annual mileage per motorist of 8,266 miles (calculated using Department for Transport figures for total miles travelled per year and SMMT data for UK total car parc size)

-Ends-

Notes to editors:

About Go Ultra Low

The Go Ultra Low website (www.GoUltraLow.com) provides a one-stop-shop for information about owning and running Ultra Low Emission Vehicles, the makes and models available and the locations of the thousands of publically available charge points.

Key findings from the Survey

*The research for Go Ultra Low was conducted between 24 December 2014 and 5 January 2015, on a sample of 1,690 UK adults who drive a car.

Question 1 – What is the maximum distance you have driven in a single trip during 2014?

• 36% of people did not complete a journey greater than 80 miles during 2014
• Women are more likely than men to complete shorter journeys: 47.4% of women did not complete a journey longer than 80 miles during 2014, vs 24.2% of men
• 25% of drivers under 24 years of age did not drive further than 40 miles during 2014 and 58.3% did not drive further than 80 miles.
• Nearly half of drivers living in London did not drive further than 80 miles during 2014

Regional breakdown where drivers have driven less than 80 miles:

Question 2 – When do you think you are likely to next change your car?

• 19% of motorists are considering changing their car this year
• 70.8% of motorists are likely to change their car within the next 1-4 years
• Only 2% are not likely to change their car within the next 10 years
• Men are more likely to consider changing their car than women:
  75.9% are likely to change their car during the next four years, vs. 65.7% of women
• Young people are more likely to change their car than older age groups:

• Under 24 = 97.2% (4 years) 61.1% (within 2 years)
• 25-34 = 74.9% (4 years) 46.2% (within 2 years)
• 35-44 = 68.9% (4 years) 44.4% (within 2 years)
• 45-54 = 67.8% (4 years) 42.1% (within 2 years)
• 55+ = 71% (4 years) 47.8% (within 2 years)

• The top three regions where motorists are most likely to consider changing their car within 1-2 years are: Wales (59.3%), North West (50.3%) and Midlands (48.8%)

Question 3 – Have you ever considered buying a ULEV?

• Nearly one third (32.1%) have considered buying a ULEV
• 67.9% have never considered buying a ULEV
• Men are marginally more likely to consider a ULEV (33% male vs 31% female)
• Young people are far more likely to consider ULEV (Under 24 years old: 63.9% yes) – likelihood falls with age, 25-34 years old (40.6%), 35-44 years old (34.6%), 45-55 years old (31.8%), 55+ years old (28.1%)
• Regions with highest consideration: London (39.1%), Yorkshire (36.6%), Midlands (35.8%)
• Regions with lowest consideration: North West (25.1%), South East (27%), North East (29.3%)

Question 4 – Using the quickest means of charging, how long do you think it would take to recharge a ULEV?

• 71.4% believe it takes an hour or more to recharge a ULEV
• 11.4% believe it takes over 8 hours to charge a ULEV
• Only 28.7% are aware that a ULEV can be "fast charged" in less than one hour, with 7.1% believing a ULEV can be recharged in less than 30 minutes
• 36.9% believe it takes between 2 and 8 hours to recharge a ULEV
• There is little difference between men and women's views on recharging times
• 25-34 years old are the best informed with 32.6% aware that EV's can be "fast charged" in less than one hour
• Regions with best awareness: Northern Ireland (37.3%), Scotland (33.9%) and Yorkshire (34%)
• Regions with least awareness: North East (24%), North West (25.1%) and Midlands (25.6%)

Additional qualitative feedback

• 28% believe it is more expensive to own and run a ULEV than a conventional car.
  • Higher opinion with men (31.8%) than women (25%).
  • Higher opinion among older age groups (36% of over 55s vs 16% of under 34s)
• 9.6% believed that ULEVs are only able to be charged at street charge points.
  • Higher opinion among women (11.9%) than men (7.1%).
  • Especially high opinion in London (13%) vs 7.4% in Scotland or 8% in North East
• 10.98% of women also believed that electric vehicles cannot be charged at home, vs. just 4% of men
  • Especially high opinion in London (11.2%) vs Wales (2.5%) and Scotland (4.1%)
• 7% believe ULEV's can't be driven on the motorway
  • Especially high opinion in London (14.2%) vs North West (3%) and South West (3.9%)
• 4.6% believed electrically powered vehicles are more expensive to tax than petrol or diesel equivalents
• 27% believe a ULEV can't travel more than 200 miles without refuelling/recharging
  • Higher opinion with older age groups (31.8% over 55s vs 16.8% under 24s)
• 16.7% believed that electric vehicles can't travel more than 50 miles without recharging
• 3% (nearly 1 in 20) believe it is dangerous to charge and drive an electrically-powered vehicle in the rain

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