With Electric Vehicle (EV) ownership increasing1 as the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles gets closer, new research reveals that EVs are most popular amongst drivers in Reading.

The research from MoneySuperMarket reveals the Berkshire-based town has the highest number of insurance enquiries for EVs than anywhere else in the UK, at 2,016 per 100,000 people in the town in the past year. This was 8% higher than Guildford (1,866 enquiries for every 100,000 people), which took second place.

Other locations featuring in the top 5 list were Stevenage, Watford and Chelmsford. On the other end of the scale, EVs are least popular amongst drivers in Sunderland, with only 101 enquiries per 100,000 people in the past year.3

Top 10 locations for EV enquiries per 100,000 people

Rank Location Total enquiries EV enquiries per 100,000 people
1 Reading 3233 2016
2 Guildford 2806 1866
3 Stevenage 1591 1806
4 Watford 1503 1556
5 Chelmsford 2756 1535
6 Oxford 2160 1425
7 Slough 2060 1377
8 Preston 1702 1181
9 Warrington 2442 1166
10 Norwich 1484 1044

 

Looking at typical professions for EV drivers, 10.2% of all car insurance enquiries are for retirees, indicating that most EVs are owned by those no longer working. This is almost twice as much as NHS workers (5.9%), who are the second most likely to own an EV.

Over the last year, four-fifths (80%) of all enquiries for EVs were for vehicles worth over £20,000, while just 6.4% were for vehicles in the £5,000-£14,999 bracket. This puts the majority of EVs in the highest value band for car insurance. Despite the considerable cost of EVs, the data shows that three out of the 10 most popular occupations for EV drivers were from those who are not currently in work (retirees, students and homemakers).

 

Top 10 occupations by EV enquiry

Rank Main driver occupation % of overall EV enquiries
1 None – Retired 10.2%
2 Health Care – NHS 5.8%
3 Information Technology 4.5%
4 Education 3.2%
5 Retailing 3.1%
6 Financial Services 2.9%
7 None – Student 2.7%
8 Construction Industry 2.5%
9 Computers – Software 2.5%
10 None – Household Duties 2%

 

 If you’re making the change to an electric car, make sure you use a price comparison tool, like MoneySuperMarket, to get the best deal on insurance.”

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