Electric car sales to overtake diesel by 2020, says Leasing Options

Registrations of electric cars will surpass those of diesel models in July 2020 if current sales trends continue, Leasing Options has predicted.

The leasing company has analysed Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) registration data and reported that diesel registrations have fallen 37.2% over the past year, while sales of electric cars increased 5.7% last year.

Diesel registrations have consistently fallen since the Volkswagen emissions scandal last year, and as the focus on air quality has increased.

Leasing Options also surveyed 2,000 drivers to find out more about people’s attitudes to electric and diesel cars.

More than half (56%) of respondents said that they are less likely to buy a diesel car today compared to five years ago, with nearly half (47%) saying they believe diesel cars are a danger to the environment.

Almost half (48%) would be interested in electric cars as they felt it would help the environment. Half (50%) stated that if cost and convenience were the same, they would prefer to drive an electric car over a petrol or diesel and 54% would purchase an electric car if it became the norm.

However, Leasing Options said there is still a lot of hesitancy when it comes buying electric cars as more than half (53%) said they don’t know enough about them to buy one. A further 63% admit that they feel that the cars are out of their price bracket and 74% say they are concerned they won’t be able to find charging points.