The government’s pledge to ban combustion engines by 2030 looks to have called time on diesel and petrol engines, but the UK driving public still thinks petrol will be going strong in 10 years time.

An AA survey of almost 13,000 UK drivers found that they believe that one in five cars on the roads in 2030 will be an electric engine, with diesel only expected to have a 16.8 per cent share of the market, petrol will be down from its current 58.5 per cent market share to 30.2 per cent.

According to public opinion in 2021, there will be a significant emergence of hybrid vehicles within the next decade, with conventional hybrids expected to take 13.7 per cent of the market and plug-in hybrids taking 11.7 per cent.

Edmund King, president of the AA, commented: “Over the next nine years, electric cars could supercharge the way we drive. There is clearly a desire from drivers to own them. EVs will play a significant role in the future.

“Everything is working in favour of electric cars. The range of a single charge is constantly improving, the purchase and leasing prices are becoming more affordable, more models and styles are reaching the market and investments in chargepoints are being made.

“Electric vehicle technology has the ability to unlock much more than greener motoring; providing the chance to create new jobs and opportunities. More should be done to spark the EV revolution, such as scrapping the VAT on electric cars costing less than £50,000 and the construction of numerous gigafactories.”

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