The explosion in popularity of electric vehicles has seen consumer choice in the future-proof EVs get wider than ever. Almost every major brand now has an electric variant, but there remains one marque that everyone seems to want to get their hands on.
According to data published by GoCompare this week, everyone wants a Tesla, with one in three electric vehicles currently registered in the UK having Elon Musk’s innovative brand. And the most popular of all electric vehicle models is Tesla’s Model 3, which takes 22 per cent of the market.
Nissan (19%) and Renault (9%) complete the top three, but the rest of the industry has plenty of catching up to do before the UK public gets serious about any other brands.
The price comparison website found that electric vehicles tend to be bought by retirees and company directors, though the greener engines are also favourable with housewives according to the research.
“With some electric cars being more expensive than traditional fuel powered vehicles, it’s no surprise to see that their drivers commonly have higher earning jobs or the savings to spend,” said the GoCompare report. “Retirees make up 10.5% of all electric vehicle (EV) owners, while company directors account for 8%.
“Unlike other cars, EVs are difficult to sell second hand due to the way their batteries depreciate.So most vehicles are sold new, making their price points higher than that of a used model.
“IT consultants (1.3%) and students (1.4%) own fewer electric cars than any other profession.
“Out of the top twenty most expensive cars quoted, our data reveals Tesla and Nissan reign supreme. Tesla’s Model-3 and Nissan’s Leaf range accounted for 60% of the top 20 most expensive cars. These two popular electric car models were followed by BMW’s I3 range. The top twenty most expensive electric cars had an average value of £436,000.”
GoCompare’s research also looked at where in the UK EVs are most popular, and it is at this point that the data may start to look a little suspicious. All previous analysis on electric vehicle uptake has suggested that London is the capital of electric cars, but the research from the insurance experts is saying that Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and Milton Keynes are the most popular places.