Now could be a pivotal time for electric vehicles in the UK as it appears that motorists are beginning to prepare for an electric vehicle revolution. This could be due to the Government’s clean air plans and goal to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040.
There has also been the rollout of the T-Charge zone in the capital in a bid to stop motorists driving the most environmentally damaging cars from entering the capital, whilst Oxford council has announced that they will be banning petrol and diesel cars from their city centre by 2020.
Sales Figures
People seem to be paying attention, as the sale of new cars in the UK has plummeted in 2017. In fact, new car sales fell for the seventh consecutive month in October with diesel registrations falling by one-third. Meanwhile, the sale of electric vehicles rose 36.9% compared to October 2016. Clearly, the public is preparing for a green future.
What is Stopping People?
According to a survey by OVO, the main reason that people are currently hesitant to make the change is the supposed lack of charging points. The survey revealed that most Brits thought, on average, that there were 28,12 charging points and 56% of the participants claimed this was the reason that they would not buy an electric car. In reality, there are currently 13,629 charging points across 4,760 locations in and this number is rapidly growing each month. It is thought that electric charging points will outnumber petrol stations by 2020.
The second reason the participants gave was the cost. Whilst it is true that they are generally more expensive to buy, you can recoup these funds quickly as they cost about a quarter of the cost per mile compared to petrol and diesel. Additionally, there is no road tax and you can receive a grant of up to £4,000 when you buy one.
Do I Need an MOT?
So, when you make the switch to an electric car, what about the MOT Test? Some believe that you do not need an MOT, but this is not the case and currently all cars will need to pass one after they are three years old. Fortunately, there less to worry about with an electric car as there is no emissions test, which can sometimes be a cause for concern, so MOTs will be less stressful as they will not require engine diagnostics and servicing in order to pass.The lights, windscreen wipers, windscreen, brakes, steering, bodywork, tyres and wheels will be tested as normal.
With the Government accelerating clean air plans and so many financial incentives for making the switch now, it is unsurprising that many motorists are making the change to electric vehicles sooner rather than later.