Drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) in Britain use their cars almost as often as drivers of petrol and diesel models, according to new analysis.
Despite many believing that electric cars can never be a direct replacement for combustion engine cars and suggestions that the battery range and the country’s charging infrastructure are not sufficient for longer journeys, owners appear to be proving doubters wrong.
Analysis of used car data by Cap hpi has found that the average EV owner will have driven 13,292 kilometers in 2023 – that’s just 1,200 kilometers less than drivers of petrol and diesel models.
Analysis of around 17.4 million UK cars found that the average annual mileage for an EV owner is 8,292, compared to 9,035 miles for petrol and diesel car drivers. It suggests that there is a public misconception about the potential of electric cars
Experts behind the study say the data suggests EV owners are increasing their mileage, and owners of cars with conventional combustion engines are using their engines to do less.
The analysis was carried out on around 17.4 million cars on UK roads 2014 to present to determine the average final mileage figures per year.
The data shows that EVs are now covering more miles as battery technology and range increase and improvements to charging infrastructure increase driver confidence.
The analysis shows that the average mileage of all cars, ranging from new to 10 years old, has changed from an average of 18,381 kilometers per year in early 2014 to 15,654 kilometers per year until February 2024, a decrease from the average mileage of 2,727 kilometers .
At the end of 2023, the average vehicle mileage in Britain (excluding electric vehicles) was 9,035 miles per year.
This means that the average annual mileage of petrol and diesel cars is only 9 percent higher than that of electric cars.
Dylan Setterfield, head of forecast strategy at Cap hpi, said: ‘The figures over the past decade indicate that motorists drove fewer total kilometers per year from 2014 until the start of the pandemic.
‘The data indicates that there is now a clear convergence between EVs and ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles.
‘EVs now have a much greater range and the network of charging points is constantly improving, but we are also seeing that EV drivers have much more confidence in their vehicles and have become more adept at planning their journeys and managing longer journeys.’
He added that the dramatic drop in average mileage during the pandemic and resulting lockdowns has only “steadily increased” since then, although the overall average is still about 1,000 miles per year lower than at the end of 2019.
“The pandemic has undoubtedly forever changed the way motorists use their cars,” he said.
Cap hpi says the convergence between average EV and ICE mileage is due to a combination of newer, longer-range electric cars and the growth of public charging infrastructure
Cap hpi’s report comes just days after a survey found that almost half (48 percent) of EV owners in Britain have a petrol or diesel model as a backup for when they need to travel longer distances take.
Owners do not feel comfortable relying on their electric car or the charging network when making journeys of more than 100 kilometers, according to the survey among 2,800 EV users by leasing company Zenith.
Less than one in five of the panel of UK-based EV drivers said they use them for longer journeys.
And their decline from having a second car powered by an internal combustion engine “could hold back the EV transition,” the report said.
A recent survey among owners shows that half of EV drivers have a second petrol or diesel car at home that they use for longer journeys
Range and charging experience are two of the biggest problems for EV drivers, according to the Zenith report
The lowest average mileage in the past decade was in May 2021, during the second period of national lockdown, when the average mileage fell to 8,537.
“If you look at the average mileage driven by electric cars, they start much lower than the rest of the fleet, with an annual mileage in 2014 of just 4,000,” Dylan explains.
‘The main reason for this was the limited supply of EV city cars at the time. Models such as the Nissan Leaf were not available in Britain until 2011 and the BMW i3 and Renault Zoe were launched in 2013.
‘The trend pattern for BEVs then shows a gradual increase, almost doubling to almost 13,000 kilometers per year in 2019.
“There will then be the same reduction in miles traveled during the pandemic, but a steady increase again to average above 2019 levels by 2023.”
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