Petrol drivers 'are on the brink' and may have to give up car

Petrol drivers in England have warned after sales plunge and "teeter on the brink" as more and more SHUN older technologies and traditional fuels. Drivers are ditching petrol engines in favour of electric vehicles, it has been reported.

New AutoMotive's latest Electric Car Count reported that sales of electric vehicles reached 23 per cent of the new vehicle market share, with sales up 10 per cent compared to the same time last year. Hybrid vehicles surged to a 35 per cent market share in July, with petrol clinging on to the top of the list with a 36 per cent share.

AutoMotive stated that petrol dominance "teeters on the brink" as drivers look to invest in cleaner forms of transport. More than 19,000 electric vehicles (cars, vans, motorbikes and HGVs) were sold in August. Ben Nelmes, CEO of New AutoMotive, said: “It is great to see continued growth in the number of people opting for an electric car.

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"Electric cars are much cheaper to run, nicer to drive and they are key to hitting net zero, so it is great to see more and more people discovering the benefits of going electric. The data also show a significant fall in sales of purely petrol and diesel cars as consumers shun older, polluting technologies."

He also highlighted how the "predicted flood of Chinese electric cars is still barely a trickle". James Court, chief executive of the Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) England, said: “It’s hugely impressive to see August EV sales figures surpass even the ZEV Mandate requirement for 2024. A 10% growth in EVs over just one month is a resounding vote of confidence from drivers that EVs are now very much part of the mainstream mix and rival petrol and diesel as a more cost-effective, simpler, and more enjoyable prospect.

“We’ve seen similar signs in EVA England’s latest driver survey, with for the first time an equal number of drivers reporting switching to an EV for cost considerations rather than an environmental choice. EVs are a means of A to B first and foremost, and more drivers are finding they comfortably fit their day-to-day needs.”