British financial services company GoCompare has studied who is driving electric cars and what the most popular EV brands are, for a new report.
With Ofgem revealing in May that nearly seven million UK households are planning to buy an EV, GoCompare has compiled a report based on its quote data.
The report reveals the top ten professions that are most likely to drive an EV, the hotspots in the UK where people are driving EVs and how different age groups favour different models.
The study found that retirees and company directors drive more EVs than any other professions, with 10.5% of EV quotes made up of retirees and a further 8% of company directors. IT consultants and students are the least likely to drive an EV according to the data.
Furthermore, the report puts Tesla at the top of the electric car brands that people are quoting for at 33%. Nissan, Renault and BWM follow with Volkswagen also making the top five.
Additionally, the Scottish city of Glasgow has more electric car drivers than anywhere else in the UK, with 704 electric cars registered there from drivers who quoted their car insurance with GoCompare. This is more than urban hubs such as Birmingham (628) and Manchester (591). The company added this could be explained by the many free electric car charging points set up across the country.
Ryan Fulthorpe, senior channel development manager at GoCompare, said: “We are seeing a definite increase in the number of people quoting for EVs, as well as the number of insurers who offer cover for these makes and models. Traditionally, insuring an electric car has been more expensive than conventional cars but with more insurers quoting more competitively, the range of prices available now varies a lot more.
“We’d all like to be more environmentally conscious and do more do reduce air pollution, but switching to an electric car is more than just walking into a showroom and driving away in one tomorrow. Practical points such as charging the vehicle, everyday use and insurance costs are all things that should be considered. But with new models entering the market all the time, the landscape is changing and it’s encouraging to see so many people making the switch.”
