Majority of British public back 2030 petrol and diesel ban

Studies show Brits are happy to go green by 2030

A study from YouGov has shown that the majority of the British public are ready to back the Government's plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has previously announced plans for a 2030 ban following the rise of electric cars and the growing desire for everyone to drive more economically. The plans had previously been set to come into place in 2040. 

Writing in the Financial Times, Boris Johnson said: “We’ll invest more than £2.8bn in electric vehicles, lacing the land with charging points and creating long-lasting batteries in UK gigafactories. This will allow us to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in 2030. However, we will allow the sale of hybrid cars and vans that can drive a significant distance with no carbon coming out of the tailpipe until 2035.”

YouGov asked nearly 3000 British adults for their thoughts on the ban and 49 per cent of those questioned were in support of the idea.

This comes after Jaguar Land Rover recently announced their ‘Reimagine’ plan, which will see the brand become an all-electric one by 2025. Meanwhile, Volvo have also recently confirmed their intention to be fully electric by 2030.

According to YouGov, 19% of those questioned strongly supported the plan and 30% somewhat supported it.

Going against the plan, 18% of the British public that YouGov questioned stated they were somewhat opposed to the plan, while only 14% were strongly against it. Another 19% did not know for sure yet. 

The Government's plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 appears to have attracted the attention of the younger generation, with YouGov stating that 63% of those voting in support of the plans were aged between 18 and 24.

What needs to be done to win over those who have valid concerns?

As the British public and a long list of car manufacturers adjust to what will be a greener future, there is still work to be done to convince those who are still unsure.

Of course, there are some valid reasons why some may not be ready to go electric, be that concerns over the charging facilities in remote areas or the potential cost involved. 

Let’s take a closer look at what can be done to get more drivers in electric cars in the coming years.

Make charging accessible across the UK

If the Government want to be fully electric by 2030, they must provide funds to make charging accessible for everyone, in any location or environment. 

According to Zap-Map - as of 11 March 2021 - there are 22,516 charging devices available throughout the United Kingdom – roughly 18,000 of which are either Slow or Fast chargers, rather than the smaller number of Rapid or Ultra-Rapid chargers. 

However, 31.1% of the entire number of charging devices in the UK can be found in Greater London and the numbers dwindle considerably when you start to look further away from the capital. For example, there are just 51 charging devices in the Channel Islands, 321 in Northern Ireland and just 840 in Wales. In the South West, there are 1637 charging devices, which account for just 7.3% of the total number located throughout the United Kingdom.

Investing in both the quantity and quality of charging facilities available outside of London is a must if the Government want to achieve their long-term ambitions.

Make charging accessible for everyone at home

There has previously been some concern surrounding the facilities on offer throughout new build housing estates and whether they will be capable of handling the rise of electric driving.

As things stand, to safely charge your electric car at home, you not only need a source of outside electricity but at the very least private parking within close proximity to your home. That can still throw up challenges, so you could argue that it is almost a necessity for current and aspirational electric car drivers to have a private driveway or a garage, something that risks alienating a big group of potential buyers. 

As reported by Auto Express in 2019, the Government will make electric charging points mandatory for all new-build estates, but for now, charging your car at home is not always a realistic option for many.

Continue Government grants

As the Government aim to get more and more drivers behind the wheels of electric cars, they have committed to rewarding those that do.

There is no denying that electric cars can be more expensive to buy than their combustion engine alternatives. While the running costs can be far lower, getting in one in the first place is one of the biggest hurdles for many.

To tackle this, the Government have various grants in place, including the Low-Emission Plug-in Grant which gives buyers up to £3,000 off the list price of electric cars up to £50,000. You also have the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, which gives you £350 off the installation cost of a home charger.

Schemes like these are a great incentive to help people make the switch. If you are thinking about getting behind the wheel of an electric car and want to do so at a fraction of the cost, you could consider some of our electric car lease deals.

Anyone looking to drive an electric or even a plug-in hybrid is beyond spoilt for choice. Be that City Cars like the Seat Mii or the top-of-the-range Audi e-tron GT and Tesla Model 3. 

Manufacturers are adapting to the change and now it is time for the Government to do the same.

If you would like to more about our electric car lease offers, browse our personal contract hire and business contract hire deals today or get in contact with one of our leasing experts.