Why are people buying electric cars?

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August 2026 wow

BEV Market Share: Nearly 30% of all new car registrations.
 
Mr Bump said:
August 2026 wow

BEV Market Share: Nearly 30% of all new car registrations.
Click to expand...

Just got our Kia EV 3 - we now have 2 EV's, (replaced 2 ICE), - son has 2 EV's, (replaced 2 ICE), and daughter has 1 EV and a hybrid, (replaced an ICE), both have their roofs full of solar panels and daughter even has a power bank plus portable solar panel which they use in the camper van to supplement the leisure battery.

I'm not sure where all this is going .........apart from supporting China ....although none of our EV's are Chinese

(but it's another thing that this Labour Disaster Cabinet will f..k up for the UK) ..........getting my spreadsheet ready to record the 3 pence a mile and maybe increasing
 
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BillN_33 said:
(but it's another thing that this Labour Disaster Cabinet will f..k up for the UK) ..........getting my spreadsheet ready to record the 3 pence a mile and maybe increasing
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They may actually have got it right.

Perhaps they'll even back date it, to catch all the lost income. They may even ring fence it for road maintenance! (OK, I know that last is pretty darned unlikely).
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
They may actually have got it right.

Perhaps they'll even back date it, to catch all the lost income. They may even ring fence it for road maintenance! (OK, I know that last is pretty darned unlikely).
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RR and getting it "right" don't go together

tracking the 3p a miles will be an admin nightmare .......... theory v in practice ...theory may be considered more fair but it will add another cost burden to DVLA or whoever which they are not equipped to administer

If felt necessary, the sensible way would be to tax the ownership of EV's either with an increase in RFL or some other annual one off payment ..unfair to low miles v high miles .......but that's what we have now with RFL which is unfair on a usage basis

(Also stop giving grants when you are increasing tax on ownership - the Chinese loved for the UK to do that - but maybe this was part of that other Labour star Miliband and his crazy net zero policy - unintended consequences spring to mind)

"taxation should be simple, predictable, and cheap to administer" - Adam Smith - not something Governments now follow
 
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BillN_33 said:
"taxation should be simple, predictable, and cheap to administer" - Adam Smith - not something Governments now follow
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In my opinion, quoting Adam Smith in relation to modern taxation practice, is somewhat akin to building a wooden moon rocket.

He died in 1790, when the industrial Revolution had barely got its shoes on, the first Cencus Act was just a glimmer in Charles Abbot's eye and the taxable population of the UK was in the low thousands. His ideas on how a modern country's taxation regime should be managed are, in my opinion, totally irrelevant.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
In my opinion, quoting Adam Smith in relation to modern taxation practice, is somewhat akin to building a wooden moon rocket.

He died in 1790, when the industrial Revolution had barely got its shoes on, the first Cencus Act was just a glimmer in Charles Abbot's eye and the taxable population of the UK was in the low thousands. His ideas on how a modern country's taxation regime should be managed are, in my opinion, totally irrelevant.
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Good use of a search engine or do I misunderstand you as you have an economics degree ....................I was comparing a simple system of a one off payment with a more complicated method of raising revenue, which you failed to recognise

or do you think that charging by the mile is better than an increase in RFL for EV's and that RR was correct in the introduction of a 3 pence a mile system, if a mileage charge is more suitable why not apply this to all vehicles or is the existing RFL system " more simple, more predictable, and cheaper to administer"

you are a strange fellow who completely misses the point
 
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It does seem a bit strange to have a specific tax on mileage when it comes to EV's considering that they don't have tailpipe emissions and I figured it was a punitive tax, but apparently EV's can have 20-50% more tyre wear and I didn't realise that tyres produce as much pollution as they do. Perhaps that's the reason behind it.


1789049259054.png
 
Mr Bump said:
August 2026 wow

BEV Market Share: Nearly 30% of all new car registrations.
Click to expand...

It is hardly surprising given that the manufacture and sales of ice vehicles are restricted. It isn't a free choice.
 
gman said:
It does seem a bit strange to have a specific tax on mileage when it comes to EV's considering that they don't have tailpipe emissions and I figured it was a punitive tax, but apparently EV's can have 20-50% more tyre wear and I didn't realise that tyres produce as much pollution as they do. Perhaps that's the reason behind it.


View attachment 492627
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These mileage charges for EV's and hybrids, - I personally think that it is just misguided, the tax will be expensive to collect and open to abuse. At best government computer systems are now just barely able to cope and to ask those to check self declarations against MOT records, (only available for car over 3 years old), will fail to be accurate....... and anyway how easy is it to justify the charge .......two EV's at both ends, an R5 versus a Range Rover

To do it properly deciding differential 'road" pricing for all the different types of vehicles even within the "normal car DL range" will be really complicated............ especially for vans and once over 3.5T C1 vans and commercials come into the EV market..........which is now happening, albeit very slowly

Better to stick with increases in RFL using the current system, which may be unfair to some but in the round probably works as it is easy to understand, predictable in that we all know what to expect and relatively cheap to administer ........the system is there we are all used to it and any "moans" have been said

Just my views
 
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BillN_33 said:
These mileage charges for EV's and hybrids, - I personally think that it is just misguided, the tax will be expensive to collect and open to abuse. At best government computer system are now just barely able to cope and to ask those to check self declarations against MOT records, (only available for car over 3 years old), will fail to be accurate....... and anyway how easy is it to justify the charge .......two EV's at both ends, an R5 versus a Range Rover

To do it properly deciding differential 'road" pricing for all the different types of vehicles even with the "normal car DL range" will be really complicated............ especially once over 3.5T C1 vans and commercials come into the EV market

Better to stick with increases in RFL using the current system, which maybe be unfair to some but in the round probably works as it is easy to understand, predictable in that we all know what to expect and relatively cheap to administer ........the system is there we are all used to it and any "moans" have been said

Just my views
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Agree - in basic terms it could be the weight of the car which IIRC is in the logbook. Simple and easy
 
BillN_33 said:
These mileage charges for EV's and hybrids, - I personally think that it is just misguided, the tax will be expensive to collect and open to abuse. At best government computer systems are now just barely able to cope and to ask those to check self declarations against MOT records, (only available for car over 3 years old), will fail to be accurate....... and anyway how easy is it to justify the charge .......two EV's at both ends, an R5 versus a Range Rover

To do it properly deciding differential 'road" pricing for all the different types of vehicles even within the "normal car DL range" will be really complicated............ especially for vans and once over 3.5T C1 vans and commercials come into the EV market..........which is now happening, albeit very slowly

Better to stick with increases in RFL using the current system, which may be unfair to some but in the round probably works as it is easy to understand, predictable in that we all know what to expect and relatively cheap to administer ........the system is there we are all used to it and any "moans" have been said

Just my views
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I do find the pay-per-mile a little unappealing, even though it's not really a lot. Probably because I suspect it will start to rise and possibly not just annually but throughout the year as it could be too tempting to abuse it.... "it's only a few pence we are adding on..." but that few pence extra could bring in billions extra. I wonder how it will impact taxi drivers who might want to swap to EV?

Whilst it's arguably similar to Fuel Duty and VAT (although the VAT does at least change with the wholesale price), I guess one difference is that you have more control when it comes to Fuel Duty and VAT because you can choose to drive more economically or get a more economical car, whereas with EV it's fixed no matter how you drive or what EV you drive (excluding PHEV).


cambsno said:
Agree - in basic terms it could be the weight of the car which IIRC is in the logbook. Simple and easy
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That could be an option, especially when considering tyre pollution and it's relation to the vehicle's weight.
 
Our latest

Kia EV3 GT line S ...................the styling is probably an aquired taste

the safety features are just overwhelming for someone my age to understand quickly - it can be a musical box of warning sounds

TP_Kia_EV3_1.jpg


TP_Kia_EV3_2.jpg
 
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Mr Bump said:
haha you keep sticking to that lol
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Yes, because it is true. Manufacturers cannot sell as many ice cars that demand warrants because of restrictions governing how many they can sell as a percentage of ev sales.

www.bbc.com

Electric vehicle sales targets could be cut after pressure from car makers

The government says it is considering cutting the new electric car sales target from 80% to 50% by 2030.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

It is not because there is a big demand for electric cars. Many customers are forced into buying them because they can't find the new petrol car that they actually want. But, because this is playing into the hands of the Chinese, governments throughout Europe are belatedly seeing sense and lifting the draconian restrictions. However, car manufacturers will not be able to immediately respond to the changes.
 
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The Chinese are also offering amazing deals - a mate of mine bought a Jaecoo 7 hybrid in August. He had a "16" plate Nissan with well over 100,000 miles on the clock. He went to the Nissan dealer who offered him £1,300 in p/x for a new Nissan ........popped around to the Jaecoo dealer who offered him £3,300 and suggested he took finance and that the £3,300 could be taken as full deposit ...... and guess what the interest charged on a three year finance deal was ...........0.5% APR, yes the one half of 1% APR ..................if you can pay the full amount in cash better to take the finance and put your cash in Premium Bonds or an ISA.

Reminds me of the time when Datsun started selling their cars in the UK in the late 60's and early 70's

Capture the market, then increase your prices

(Jaecoo also offer an ICE equivalent)
 
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Have you guys seen the news about that Toyota solid state battery? Looks to be real and it looks like they're heading for production. If this does come to pass and I think it will it could get me into an electric car in a few years time depending on the price of the cars, looks to be heading for higher end Lexus first.

Sorry if this has already been covered.
 
woof woof said:
Have you guys seen the news about that Toyota solid state battery? Looks to be real and it looks like they're heading for production. If this does come to pass and I think it will it could get me into an electric car in a few years time depending on the price of the cars, looks to be heading for higher end Lexus first.

Sorry if this has already been covered.
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I've found reading forums etc, and we have had our i3 now for over 5 years...........that battery life seems to be holding up very well.........look at the stats for a range of EV's ........... and people, depending on their life style, are managing very well with a less than 200 mile of range even when charging from home ..........it's the electrical gizmos that tend to fail and even so they do tend to last as long as or longer than ICE equivalent parts .............. in fact the very early Tesla Y's with free charging for life even with 150,000 miles+ on the clock are still being sort after ........ leaf batteries are also holding up quite well.

There is a lot of scare negativity surrounding EV's which is not really justified ..........for me they are a different car to drive than an ICE vehicle ........ that's why I have kept my old E92 335D which I just love to drive and it hardly costs me anything to run/keep.

but who can trust government policy - it has all been contradictory - a few years there is support and the next few the reverse - all the general public need is consistency not only in their EV policy but also in other matters

"Mother, should I trust the government?"

just my experience
 
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Clive K said:
Yes, because it is true. Manufacturers cannot sell as many ice cars that demand warrants because of restrictions governing how many they can sell as a percentage of ev sales.

www.bbc.com

Electric vehicle sales targets could be cut after pressure from car makers

The government says it is considering cutting the new electric car sales target from 80% to 50% by 2030.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

It is not because there is a big demand for electric cars. Many customers are forced into buying them because they can't find the new petrol car that they actually want. But, because this is playing into the hands of the Chinese, governments throughout Europe are belatedly seeing sense and lifting the draconian restrictions. However, car manufacturers will not be able to immediately respond to the changes.
Click to expand...

your tin hat is in the post...

1789068415520.png
 
BillN_33 said:
I've found reading forums etc, and we have had our i3 now for over 5 years...........that battery life seems to be holding up very well.........look at the stats for a range of EV's ........... and people, depending on their life style, are managing very well with a less than 200 mile of range even when charging from home ..........it's the electrical gizmos that tend to fail and even so they do tend to last as long as or longer than ICE equivalent parts .............. in fact the very early Tesla Y's with free charging for life even with 150,000 miles+ on the clock are still being sort after ........ leaf batteries are also holding up quite well.

There is a lot of scare negativity surrounding EV's which is not really justified ..........for me they are a different car to drive than an ICE vehicle ........ that's why I have kept my old E92 335D which I just love to drive and it hardly costs me anything to run/keep.

just my experience
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Without wanting to revive old arguments... There are a few things that scare me about electric cars which at the moment just don't have answers. The new Toyota may answer some but probably not all.

I don't know if I will get one of these new tech Toyotas as another thing about new cars I don't like is the whole tablet based controls thing. I just don't want to own a car with an ipad glued to the dash, Many cars seem to have no effort at integration, it just looks like an after thought just glued to the dash. I have three cars at the mo, MX5, Getz and an Evoque. Mrs WW has given her blessing to replace the Evoque but honestly looking at the new ones and at the competition I find the interiors horrible so I haven't bothered. If the new Toyota has a massive ipad and a miserable messy interior I wont be getting one.
 
woof woof said:
Without wanting to revive old arguments... There are a few things that scare me about electric cars which at the moment just don't have answers. The new Toyota may answer some but probably not all.

I don't know if I will get one of these new tech Toyotas as another thing about new cars I don't like is the whole tablet based controls thing. I just don't want to own a car with an ipad glued to the dash, Many cars seem to have no effort at integration, it just looks like an after thought just glued to the dash. I have three cars at the mo, MX5, Getz and an Evoque. Mrs WW has given her blessing to replace the Evoque but honestly looking at the new ones and at the competition I find the interiors horrible so I haven't bothered. If the new Toyota has a massive ipad and a miserable messy interior I wont be getting one.
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I agree with that

as I said earlier "the safety features are just overwhelming for someone my age to understand quickly - it can be a musical box of warning sounds" - nothing is simple to my mind but my son and daughter disagree and find all the stuff in modern cars and EV's quite normal and understandable.

on a more mundane subject - we have a VW Grand California Camper van - bought it a couple of months ago for us all to share, more them than me - I definitely want a spare wheel and have bought one - both son and daughter are adamant that it is not needed and say that they will always call the breakdown services ........ they wont ever take it with them (but I have just bought an underslung unit to hide it!!) ........ and my son has just been on a three week holiday to the S of France in the van ...........I have explained to them all the "benefits" that having a spare wheel can bring, but no!
 
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I'm currently in Denmark, I don't know the car tax situation, but in Copenhagen the challenge is spotting an ICE car, there are also several EV brands I've never heard of. Vinfast must have made a fortune as the look to supply virtual all the taxis.

This is a city of apartment blocks and they seem to charge car somehow.
 
Clive K said:
Yes, because it is true. Manufacturers cannot sell as many ice cars that demand warrants because of restrictions governing how many they can sell as a percentage of ev sales.

www.bbc.com

Electric vehicle sales targets could be cut after pressure from car makers

The government says it is considering cutting the new electric car sales target from 80% to 50% by 2030.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

It is not because there is a big demand for electric cars. Many customers are forced into buying them because they can't find the new petrol car that they actually want. But, because this is playing into the hands of the Chinese, governments throughout Europe are belatedly seeing sense and lifting the draconian restrictions. However, car manufacturers will not be able to immediately respond to the changes.
Click to expand...
There are plenty of ICE cars around, if you cant find one stop being so fussy or buy used
 
woof woof said:
Without wanting to revive old arguments... There are a few things that scare me about electric cars which at the moment just don't have answers. The new Toyota may answer some but probably not all.

I don't know if I will get one of these new tech Toyotas as another thing about new cars I don't like is the whole tablet based controls thing. I just don't want to own a car with an ipad glued to the dash, Many cars seem to have no effort at integration, it just looks like an after thought just glued to the dash. I have three cars at the mo, MX5, Getz and an Evoque. Mrs WW has given her blessing to replace the Evoque but honestly looking at the new ones and at the competition I find the interiors horrible so I haven't bothered. If the new Toyota has a massive ipad and a miserable messy interior I wont be getting one.
Click to expand...

I think thats just personal taste. My Tesla (aside from steering wheel and indicator/gear select stalks has nothing other than a big screen and I like that. Minimal - easier to clean than all those knobs and buttons. Big screen easy to read. But thats just my taste.
 
Delphin said:
I'm currently in Denmark, I don't know the car tax situation, but in Copenhagen the challenge is spotting an ICE car, there are also several EV brands I've never heard of. Vinfast must have made a fortune as the look to supply virtual all the taxis.

This is a city of apartment blocks and they seem to charge car somehow.
Click to expand...

Proper planning, fair pricing and doing things for the greater good. There are a few things I dont like about their way of living like super expensive alcohol, but overall they get more right than wrong and we should aspire to copy a lot more of what they do.

Norway IIRC has super high EV use and this from a country with endless oil!
 
Delphin said:
I'm currently in Denmark, I don't know the car tax situation, but in Copenhagen the challenge is spotting an ICE car, there are also several EV brands I've never heard of. Vinfast must have made a fortune as the look to supply virtual all the taxis.
Click to expand...

That's strange, because navigating street view roads that are dated April 2026 shows it to be no different from here with plenty of ICE cars on the road.


Delphin said:
This is a city of apartment blocks and they seem to charge car somehow.
Click to expand...

Maybe it's because public fast charging is far cheaper there than it is in the UK.


Top 10 cheapest countries in Europe to fast charge an EV​

  1. Finland: €0.38
  2. Bulgaria: €0.38
  3. Lithuania: €0.40
  4. Latvia: €0.40
  5. Estonia: €0.41
  6. Iceland: €0.46
  7. Spain: €0.47
  8. Denmark: €0.49
  9. Romania: €0.49
  10. Norway: €0.51

Top 10 most expensive countries in Europe to fast charge an EV​

  1. United Kingdom: €0.82
  2. Italy: €0.71
  3. Netherlands: €0.69
  4. Belgium: €0.69
  5. Ireland: €0.68
  6. Switzerland: €0.66
  7. Portugal: €0.65
  8. Luxembourg: €0.65
  9. Germany: €0.59
  10. Austria: €0.59

Charging your electric vehicle in Europe

Are you taking your electric car or EV on a European road trip? Find out everything you need to know with the RAC Drive guide to charging in Europe.
www.rac.co.uk www.rac.co.uk
 
gman said:
That's strange, because navigating street view roads that are dated April 2026 shows it to be no different from here with plenty of ICE cars on the road.




Maybe it's because public fast charging is far cheaper there than it is in the UK.


Top 10 cheapest countries in Europe to fast charge an EV​

  1. Finland: €0.38
  2. Bulgaria: €0.38
  3. Lithuania: €0.40
  4. Latvia: €0.40
  5. Estonia: €0.41
  6. Iceland: €0.46
  7. Spain: €0.47
  8. Denmark: €0.49
  9. Romania: €0.49
  10. Norway: €0.51

Top 10 most expensive countries in Europe to fast charge an EV​

  1. United Kingdom: €0.82
  2. Italy: €0.71
  3. Netherlands: €0.69
  4. Belgium: €0.69
  5. Ireland: €0.68
  6. Switzerland: €0.66
  7. Portugal: €0.65
  8. Luxembourg: €0.65
  9. Germany: €0.59
  10. Austria: €0.59

Charging your electric vehicle in Europe

Are you taking your electric car or EV on a European road trip? Find out everything you need to know with the RAC Drive guide to charging in Europe.
www.rac.co.uk www.rac.co.uk
Click to expand...


Thanks for posting - table says it all about the UK energy policy

"The UK is one of the most expensive countries (currently THE most expensive) to charge an electric car in Europe if you're using public networks."
 
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I was looking up the specs and stats of Cherry Tiggo 9 the other day expecting a barge, but that thing can shift if it's got over 80% charge and the amount of kit is staggering considering the price. When checking out some video reviews, it apparently performs excellently on a variety of road surfaces and even the design has been done for easy servicing.

Granted it's a PHEV and not an EV, but apparently it's not like the PHEVs of old and it has something like a 100 mile range just on battery. I'm not sure how reliable it will be just yet, but for reasonable money it's a big, fast, seven seater with tons of kit and actually looks pretty decent as well. It's damn tempting.
 
cambsno said:
I think thats just personal taste. My Tesla (aside from steering wheel and indicator/gear select stalks has nothing other than a big screen and I like that. Minimal - easier to clean than all those knobs and buttons. Big screen easy to read. But thats just my taste.
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As you may have seen me post before, if it was my decision I'd legislate them out of existence. Glance at a phone and you risk prosecution but use a screen to do... well, almost anything in a car and that's perfectly fine.
 
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