The electric vehicle (EV) revolution is well and truly upon us. Ahead of the 2030 UK ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars, the EV market has experienced a boom over the last year.
This is reflected in both a significant increase in online searches for EVs and increased sales of EVs. But which are the most popular EVs right now? And what do you need to know before purchasing one? Read on to find out.
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What’s happening in the electric vehicle (EV) market
In a difficult 2021 car market marked by sales that were nearly 30% lower than pre-pandemic levels, electric vehicles proved to be a bright spot.
Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that a total of 1.65 million cars were registered in 2021, which is 1% higher than in 2020 but 28.7% lower than in 2019 before the pandemic.
Of these registrations, 190,727 were for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which is higher than the figure for the previous five years combined. Registrations for plug-in-hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), meanwhile, stood at 114,554. In total, electric vehicles accounted for 18.5% of all new cars registered in the UK in 2021.
Aside from the increased sales figures for EVs, Google Trends data shows that search interest in EVs has increased dramatically, with the search term ‘best electric cars 2022’ seeing a 2,100% increase.
Which are the most popular electric vehicles (EVs)?
As electric vehicles become more common on the road, their social media appeal is also growing.
With this in mind, car insurance comparison site Quotezone combed through Instagram and TikTok to find the EVs shared or bragged about most often by users.
The research revealed that Tesla leads the pack when it comes to online popularity. The two EVs that received the highest number of hashtags were both Tesla models. These are the Tesla Model 3 and the Tesla Model S, with 1,300, 591,645, and 371,892,974 shares respectively, on TikTok and Instagram.
In third place is the Audi e-tron with 167,907,366 shares, followed by the Porsche Taycan with 92,971,382 shares. The Ford Mustang Mach-E, with 34,411,216 shares, closes out the top 5.
Here is the complete list of the top 10 most popular EVs according to Quotezone:
|
Electric Vehicle Model |
Total no. of social shares |
|
|
1 |
Tesla Model 3 |
1,300,591,645 |
|
2 |
Tesla Model S |
371,892,974 |
|
3 |
Audi e-tron |
167,907,366 |
|
4 |
Porsche Taycan |
92,971,382 |
|
5 |
Ford Mustang Mach-E |
34,411,216 |
|
6 |
Nissan Leaf |
23,141,917 |
|
7 |
Volvo XC40 Recharge |
16,205,825 |
|
8 |
BMW i3 |
15,927,608 |
|
9 |
Kia EV6 |
13,813,314 |
|
10 |
Hyundai Ioniq 5 |
12,493,489 |
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What do you need to know before purchasing an EV?
Aside from the obvious benefit of being less polluting, electric vehicles are much cheaper to run than fuel-powered cars. Credit broker Norton Finance says that EVs usually cost about £106 less per year to run, saving owners approximately £1,492 on average lifetime bills.
With electric cars, you also don’t have to worry about paying congestion fees. Furthermore, EVs are said to hold their value better than their petrol and diesel counterparts.
However, there are a few drawbacks to be aware of.
The lack of a widespread EV charging network in the UK means that finding a charging point can be difficult at times, especially if you live far from a major urban centre. However, the government is taking steps to address this. For example, it has been announced that beginning in 2022, all new homes and buildings in England will be built with EV charging points.
It’s worth noting that electric vehicles can be more expensive to insure than petrol- and diesel-powered cars. Therefore, before you close the deal on one, take some time first to compare car insurance quotes to increase the odds of scoring the best possible deal for your circumstances.
Finally, there is the issue of buying costs. Right now, EVs are generally more expensive to buy than their petrol and diesel counterparts. If you have decided that your next car will be an EV, the good news is that there are plenty of ways to finance the purchase, including unsecured personal loans, personal contract plan (PCP) or hire purchase.
What’s more, you may be eligible for a government grant of up to £1,500 to purchase your next EV. Check out the gov.uk website for more on this.
