Electric cars: Facts and figures

Electric cars are growing in popularity in the UK and around the world. In fact, Auto Trader data shows a growing interest in new and used electric vehicles.
With electric cars becoming more popular, manufacturers are meeting the enthusiasm and demand by providing us with more choices that suit different budgets for electric cars, and the government’s introducing grants to make electric cars more accessible. With so many electric cars available to buy or lease, we’re here to answer all your questions with facts and figures so that you make an informed decision. And we've got an entire guide on what the jargon means - from EV and ICE, to Kilowatt (kW) and Amperes (amps), so you can get all the information you need with full confidence.

1 in 3 second-hand EVs are under £20,000 [1]

The cheapest electric cars on Auto Trader are under £2,000. And right now, one in ten used electric car sales on Auto Trader were under £15,000. And no, just because the car is used doesn’t mean it’s old or dusty. Some of these electric cars have below-average miles on the clock. And as seen in our YouTube video where Rory tests drives a used Tesla with nearly half a million miles on the clock, electric cars are capable of covering a lot of distance over their lifetime without the battery degrading too much.

21 brand new EVs RRP under £30,000

New electric cars tend to be about a third more expensive than petrol and diesel cars, but discounts from manufacturers are helping narrow the gap, and so are government grants. Data shows there are now more than 20 new electric cars with an RRP under £30,000 with more set to launch in the UK in the coming months. The latest electric cars also come with the latest tech and safety features that helps makes the drive so much easier and enjoyable The reality is, there are big differences in price in the electric market, just as there would be in the petrol market. If you’re considering going electric, you could look at 5-year-old electric cars – they're really good value for money, especially when you factor in running costs. As with any car, the cheapest models available are often the oldest so the most affordable are likely to be cars such as the Nissan Leaf or the Renault Zoe – these would make good run-around cars for many households who just need to do short local trips.

You can save up to £750/year If you mostly charge at home, compared to petrol cars [2]

This all depends on if you have access to off-street parking at home. Home charging is cheaper than using the public network to charge your EV as you can enjoy off-peak tariffs and lower VAT charges. VAT at home is 5% as compared to 20% on the public network. Most people charge majority of the times at home with a few on-the-go top-ups for those longer journeys. If this is how you charge your electric car, you can enjoy significant savings and you’ll never have to visit a petrol station again – something electric drivers tell us that they love! One driver even told us they’d reduced their spending on snacks as they never visit the petrol station anymore. You can simply charge your car overnight and start your day with a full battery, for a fraction of the price of petrol.

13,935 rapid chargers that can charge car to around 80% in just 20-40 minutes. Plus, around 71,459 public charge points in total across the UK with thousands more coming every year. [3]

Data as of October 2024.
Did you know there’s one charger per 4 miles of road in the UK! There are a few different types of chargers which charge at different speeds and can be found in different locations. Slow/fast (typically 7-22kW) which are found on-street, in car parks or at workplaces and allow you to charge your car over several hours while it is parked and you are doing something else like working or shopping for example. Then you have Rapid/Ultra-rapid chargers (typically 50kW-300kW), which tend to be more expensive due to the type of service they provide, and are found at motorway services, dedicated hubs on major roads or in car parks, which enable you to charge quickly (in 20-40 minutes) while you are taking a break on a longer journey.

Yes. More than one million EVs have joined Britain’s roads since 2010 [4], with battery warranties lasting at least eight years or 100,000 miles.

The simple truth is that all cars gradually degrade over time – that’s a key reason why, most of the time, cars depreciate in value. So, while it’s right that people should be concerned about how their electric car – and its battery – will fare in the long term, the reality is the degradation you can expect is no different to how a petrol or diesel car might change over time. All electric cars come with an 8-year battery warranty as standard, and the latest data suggests batteries only lose 1-2% of their capacity each year, suggesting no difference to engine efficiency loss over time. As we get more data on electric vehicles and how they perform after years of use and high mileage we’re seeing that EVs are doing really well and there’s no reason for drivers to worry about how their electric car will meet their needs after years of ownership. In fact, as electric vehicles have fewer moving parts they are less likely to need maintenance and repairs. For example, at seven years old, the average Tesla battery still provides approximately 93% of its original capacity and range, according to a recent study by Nimblefins. Also, the Technical University of Munich have released figures showing that after approximately ten years’ use, the battery in the Volkswagen ID3 was still at about 90%.

Around two weeks driving for most people. [5]

The average range of a new EV is 236 miles. [6]

On average, Brits drive 127 miles a week with the most common reasons being grocery shopping (11 miles), visiting friends and family (22 miles) and shopping for other goods (7 miles). A single charge typically lasts up to 250 miles meaning the average household in the UK would need to charge their electric vehicle less than once a week. This is despite around two-fifths (41%) of drivers believing they would have to charge their cars every three days. [2] In fact, based on the average driver and the average journey distance, one single electric vehicle charge will provide all of the below [3]: • Three visits to the supermarket • Six commutes • Three visits to friends and family • Five general shopping trips • One trip to a restaurant, pub or bar • Ten school runs Additionally, this data shows that a single charge would be enough to cover a one-way journey between London and most other major English cities including Liverpool (212 miles), York (211 miles), Manchester (200 miles), Exeter (195 miles) and Cardiff (149 miles).

Yes - typically an electric car emits just one-third of the harmful greenhouse gases of a petrol car during its lifetime[7]

Further research from the Carbon Brief shows that buying a new electric car to replace an older car would benefit the climate after driving 20,000 – 32,000 miles. Whilst not everyone can afford to buy an electric car just yet, we can make other environmentally-friendly vehicle choices. If buying a new EV is not an option for you, you could consider getting a newer and cleaner petrol car, or maybe even a hybrid might be an option for you. There are also environmentally friendly journey choices to consider. Every journey is a choice - walking, cycling, using public transport, or even an e-bike can reduce your car usage in little ways.

Electric cars are less likely to catch fire than conventional cars. [8]

A May 2023 report by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency found vehicles powered by internal combustion engines were 20 times more likely to catch fire than electric vehicles in Sweden. Sweden recorded 106 fires in various electrified modes of transport in 2022. More than half were in e-scooters (38) and e-bikes (20). Out of Sweden’s 611,000 electric vehicles, 23 fires (0.004%) were reported. The fleet of 4.4 million petrol and diesel vehicles recorded 3,400 fires (0.08%). Australian firm EV FireSafe tracks passenger electric vehicle battery fires worldwide. From 2010 to June 2023, its database records only 393 verified fires globally, out of some 30 million electric vehicles on the road. Australia recorded only four electric vehicle battery fires over the same period. One was linked to arson. The other three vehicles were parked in structures that burned down and destroyed the vehicles. So it appears these fires didn’t start in the batteries. But electric vehicle numbers in Australia were low during this 13-year period.

Ready to start your electric journey? Use our tool to find the perfect electric car for you.
References: [1] Auto Trader internal Retail Pricing Index data [2] Zapmap [3] Zap Map [data to end June 2024] and BVRLA [4] Institute of the Motor Industry [5] Source: Auto Trader internal Retail Pricing Index data [6]Source: SMMT [7] Lifecycle Analysis of UK Road Vehicles, Final Report for Department for Transport [8] The Guardian [9] Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) T0194 – Covered car park - fire safety guidance for electric vehicles Opinion provided on 31/10/24. The information above reflects Auto Trader’s interpretation of the marketplace at any given time and is purely illustrative. This information is provided for general information and guidance purposes only and what is best for you may be different depending on the vehicle in question, wider economic conditions and your own circumstances. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. Please therefore make sure that the information above is only one of a number of factors in any decision making process.