Overview
Zenith has, for many years, been a leader in the UK’s transition to electric vehicles. We currently manage 170,000 vehicles, 22,500 of which are EVs. Zenith’s vision is to decarbonise the UK vehicle parc by eliminating tailpipe emissions. This is enabling us to support the evolution of sustainable motoring for many more drivers and businesses across the UK.
About the EVxperience report
We commissioned research practitioners Maru/Matchbox to conduct an independent survey of nearly 2,800 of Zenith’s electric car customers. Our research aims to delve into the day-to-day realities of what it’s like to drive an electric vehicle and, crucially, to enable us to track how these attitudes evolve over time.
To give us a meaningful point of difference, we also polled 1,300 petrol/diesel drivers on their attitudes towards driving so that we could track how the experience of driving an EV compares. With the UK set to ban new petrol and diesel cars from 2035, it is vital that we make the most of the next 11 years to make the transition as simple and enjoyable as possible for drivers.
We plan to regularly publish this report to serve as a barometer of how this transition is going and to pose questions on what could be done to improve it.
Key highlights
KEY EXPERIENCE INDICATORS (KEIs)
The research found that since last year’s debut EVX report, EV drivers have become less satisfied with their experience across all six KEIs. This was most significant on range, which dropped from 7.7/10 to 6.7/10, and the experience of charging, reducing from 8.1/10 to 7.4/10. The average rating across all Indicators decreased to 7.8/10, down from 8.4/10 last year.
68%
feel confident in using their BEV
for longer trips
76%
of drivers rely on off-street
charging at home
Of those who are not confident doing longer trips, the most common reasons are unreliable public charging (36%) and range anxiety (34%).
“We started the EVXperience Report to understand what driving an EV was really like, what drivers like and what could be better.
As with all new technologies, we’re on a journey. Since our first EVX report in February 2023, we’ve seen the delay of the 2030 deadline, motorway ultra-rapid charging targets being missed, and increased misinformation about the EV driving experience. It’s therefore not surprising that the latest intake of EV drivers are coming to the EV world with less confidence than the first generation of adoptees.
At Zenith, we remain committed to our vision of decarbonising the UK’s vehicle parc. These findings will be used to improve the attitude towards electric vehicles and help drive the charge towards net zero.
We hope you enjoy reviewing the findings and we look forward to tracking EVXperience for many years to come. If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.”
Tim Buchan, CEO, Zenith
EVXperience Insights
Is the two-car family holding back the EV transition?
Despite the increasing take-up of EVs, according to the 2024 data, families are still reluctant to rely on them for longer journeys. Over half (51%) of EV drivers surveyed said they still have a second vehicle which is petrol/diesel. The vast majority (73%) have no plans to get rid of these and go fully electric any time soon, suggesting the “two-car family” could be holding back the EV transition.
THE DRIVEWAY DIVIDE
Despite the rapid growth in the number of public chargers, over half (52%) of electric vehicle (EV) drivers say they would face significant difficulties solely using the public charging network. Over two thirds (69%) of drivers primarily rely on charging off-street at home, with only 14% using the public charging network as their main energy source, suggesting a “driveway divide” between those who have off-street parking and can use home chargers and those who rely on the public network.
