The rapid rise of electric cars shows a green future ahead

If those of us in the industry feel positively dizzy about the constant stream of Government funds, regulations, targets, and the car brands’ responses, price reductions, new model launches and more, imagine how the average driver feels about the prospect of making the switch from petrol to electric. It’s a wonder they don’t all give up and go back to bed until everyone calms down.

So where are we at this point, halfway through 2025, and halfway through the decade that is meant to end in the final death knoll for petrol and diesel cars?

This much, we do know: we have approaching 70 car brands in the UK, compared with 45 just six years ago, including BYD and Omoda/Jaecoo from China, both of whom have over two per cent market share having been here for under three years (it took Kia 20 years to achieve two per cent market share in the UK). These brands are here primarily to sell electric cars, which they are doing with impressive scale.

We also have 1.6 million electric cars on our roads, and 85,000 public charging points — four times more than five years ago. Currently, 22 per cent of all new cars sold in the UK are electric, which, although is still below the Government’s Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate’s target for this year of 28 per cent, does mean that one in five of us has bought an electric car.

So there are some bald figures, which undeniably chart significant progress in the adoption of electric cars in the UK, wherever your personal stance lies. The rapid upward trajectory of all this proves conclusively that electric cars are the only current solution to the UK’s net-zero goals, improvement of air quality to meet European targets, and the reduction of global warming.

Those who want to keep hydrogen, synthetic fuels and fusion in the mix are not wrong to keep the conversation alive, but in no way are any of these alternatives ready to provide a mass-market energy solution for private cars, of which we have 33 million on British roads.

So, should the four fifths of British drivers who have yet to switch to an electric car do so in the next 12 months? The most obvious concern is the upfront cost of buying an EV. In 2020, a new electric car was 59 per cent more expensive than its petrol equivalent. Now, that gap has fallen to 18 per cent.

Crucially, when it comes to used cars (which is what most of us buy) we are at price parity for three-year-old EVs and petrol versions. And the running costs for electric cars are far, far lower if you can charge at home or locally, avoiding the hideous ultra-rapid public chargers at motorway service stations where the electricity cost is often higher than petrol.

As for the charging debate, most of the 80,000 public chargers are pay as you go rather than a subscription service, and we have yet to exhaust the number of people with driveways who could have home chargers.

I recently spoke at a parliamentary reception to help launch a new campaign encouraging the greater uptake of destination charging, which is an under-utilised solution; rapid chargers at hotels, theme parks, cinemas, offices and supermarkets are a clear part of the solution, and a less stressful or inconvenient experience than public charging on the move.

And what about the cars themselves? They are the shining light in all this. If anyone has been on the right footing since the start of this revolution, it has been the car brands, who have improved their offerings beyond all belief, and have responded to new competition from Chinese brands with lower pricing, better design and longer battery range.

Take Renault. There is no better electric-car brand in the market for value for money, if you believe that value means great design, imaginative interior styling, Google tech, fun colours, decent boot space and good handling. The Renault 5 E-Tech is a car that people are queueing up to buy, drawn to its retro looks and a price tag of under £25,000.

Or what about Kia, which seized on electric as the chance to reinvent the brand’s design language and build quality, with the immaculate EV3, which won World Car of the Year, has a usable range of over 300 miles and costs under £35,000.

At the other end of the scale, Volvo and Polestar are crafting beautiful EVs with interior designs that echo nature and a focus on low-carbon aluminium and recycled steel — the two big goals for reducing carbon footprints. These are cars with a serious mission.

And then there’s Ford, which very quietly went about securing the maximum £3,750 Electric Car Grant from the Government because it has verified science-based targets for energy and water reduction at its manufacturing plants for its EVs.

How about BYD, Omoda and Jaecoo, with Xpeng, Geely Automotive and Changhan following hot on their heels into the UK market? It’s a mixed bag, just as it is for European brands. BYD has the fantastic Seal and Sealion, and not-so-fantastic Atto 3 and Atto 2. The Xpeng G6 is a beautiful car, with a Tesla-esque pared-down interior, clad in white vegan leather, a long and faithful range and a price tag under £40,000.

Omoda uses clever design, Jaecoo offers space but not refinement. And you’ll notice the T word… yes, what has happened to Tesla? Suddenly it feels like yesterday’s guy: no new model in market for several years, and no sign of one to come, still no Apple CarPlay integration and the prices keep tumbling.

But should you buy? In my mind, it’s simple, despite the crazy landscape: if you have off-street parking, I don’t know what you’re waiting for. If you don’t, then I understand why you may want to wait for the charging network to improve. But who knows, maybe prices will rise again as demand increases and you’ll wish you’d jumped now.