North Americans might be losing interest in electric vehiclesHowever, Brits continue to show a strong appetite for accumulating electric miles. According to an analysis by the RAC Foundation, drivers in the UK are covering significantly more distance annually with electric vehicles compared to those using traditional gasoline engines. In 2024, battery-electric vehicles under three years old averaged 10,054 miles per year, whereas vehicles with internal combustion engines (or petrol, as it’s known in British English) averaged 7,585 miles. This represents a 32.6% increase in mileage for electric vehicles over those powered by fossil fuels.
Hmm, not exactly, as diesel maintained its lead with an average of 10,728 miles. However, this is still just 6.7% higher than what BEVs achieved. If you’re curious, PHEVs reached 9,367 miles.
Reviewing the statistics, BEVs have surpassed gas-powered vehicles in the UK since 2016, expanding from a small lead to a significant gap. The fuel efficiency of gasoline engines has remained largely the same as it was then, meaning this shift is due to increasing EV driving ranges. Notably, PHEVs have been experiencing a consistent drop in annual mileage since 2020.
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Fleets On The Streets
The director of RAC, Steve Gooding, mentions that this trend is mainly related to large fleet customers rather than individual drivers. While diesel engines were previously the preferred option for long-haul or high-mileage vehicles, major British organizations are now more inclined towards electric power. “Considering this change in purchasing behavior… it may not be surprising that our analysis indicates battery-powered cars make up a significantly high number of miles driven,” stated Gooding.
A different study conducted by RAC indicated that sales of BEVs began to surpass PHEVs in 2020, with the difference becoming increasingly significant by 2024. In the previous year, Britons were operating 1.6 million of the former, which was 82.1% more than the latter. It seems that if your country develops a well-established public charging network with government backing and alsooffers subsidies, individuals and companies will begin to trulybuying full-electric cars. Furthermore, they will be driven significantly more than their gasoline counterparts, particularly in this time of high fuel costs. It seems like something, I don’t know, other countries—without naming any specific ones—might want to copy.
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