Only 3% of electric vehicle owners would return to a fossil fuel car

How do electric vehicle drivers get paid? And are they really satisfied with their electric car?

These are the questions being asked of motorists in a new study of 3,746 electric vehicle owners.

Leading EV charging point app Zap-Map has conducted its annual survey, now in its seventh year, providing insight into the behaviours, attitudes and satisfaction of EV drivers.

Respondents answered questions on a wide range of topics, including how many have access to charging at home, the most popular public charging locations across the UK and the key factors influencing where and how drivers choose to charge their vehicles. .

The responses, conducted in October, show that overall satisfaction continues to improve, while highlighting areas that need improvement.

Here are the key takeaways…

Electric vehicle owners would no longer use gasoline or diesel

Electric vehicle driver satisfaction remains high, with owners showing little interest in returning to the internal combustion engine (ICE).

Less than 3 percent of electric vehicle drivers expressed interest in returning to internal combustion cars.

Drivers gave their electric vehicles an average satisfaction score of 87 out of 100, highlighting cost-effectiveness (78 percent), environmental benefits (73 percent) and better vehicle performance (65 percent) as the key reasons for own an electric vehicle. .

Public charging network remains essential

While the vast majority (79 percent) of EV owners have a dedicated home charger, more than half (51 percent) use public charging at least once a month.

This reflects the importance of the public charging network and that it needs to be continuously maintained, invested and expanded.

While the average satisfaction rating for the UK’s public charging network was only 64 out of 100, with clear room for improvement, it performed better than the previous year.

In fact, 61 percent of respondents said public charging had improved over last year, both in terms of reliability and availability thanks to the growth of chargers – an increase of 38 percent over the past 12 months.

Electric vehicle drivers choose to charge at charging centers and highway services

The use of electric vehicle charging centers continues to grow strongly (and has done so over the past four years), demonstrating the growing appeal of these convenient on-road charging options.

Fifty-three percent of EV drivers say they use charging centers (these are dedicated charging stations with multiple chargers and bays), up from 47 percent last year.

Overall, the increase in the availability of fast and ultra-fast charging centers, defined as locations with six or more fast (50kW-149kW) or ultra-fast (150kW+) chargers, over the past year is reflected in the growth in use of the centers .

There are currently 486 fast charging centers across the UK open to all electric vehicles, up from 246 at the end of 2023 – an impressive 222 new centres.

However, motorway services remain the most popular charging locations, showing that many people take long journeys in electric vehicles, with 58 per cent of respondents charging there.

Electric vehicle drivers don’t want to charge while doing their weekly shopping

On the other hand, EV owners are choosing not to charge while shopping, as EV charging in supermarkets has decreased considerably.

The use of chargers in supermarket parking lots has fallen by 32 percent.

This is despite there now being almost 3,000 EV charging points in UK supermarkets and a 59 per cent annual increase in supermarket sites offering EV charging.

This is likely because many supermarkets have removed free loading options.