• EVs are not a culture war issue: most voters are instinctively positive towards them, seeing them as good for UK energy independence and for the environment, says IPPR and Persuasion UK report
  • 49 per cent of drivers know someone who owns an EV or themselves do so, and 55 per cent say they feel positive about them
  • However 40 per cent have practical concerns, considering EVs too expensive or inconvenient to own
  • Two in three voters who switched from Conservative to Labour at the election (64 per cent) are positive towards EVs, but Conservative to Reform switchers hold consistently anti-EV views
  • Policies such as cutting VAT at public charging points are needed to ease the transition to EVs and prevent risk of backlash

Half of all drivers now know someone who owns an EV, or own one themselves, and 55 per cent feel positive about them, according to new research which suggests electric vehicles are increasingly looked on as normal.

The same research and analysis found that those who are less enthusiastic about EVs are driven mainly by practical concerns – including fears about cost and convenience – rather than by any underlying ‘culture war’ issues. It suggests that policies to address those concerns would be likely to prove effective at overcoming obstacles to even wider EV ownership and use.

Read more: IPPR