By Tom Payne
- Figure equivalent to ten million households, shows ordinary family will struggle
- Middle-earning households may not be able to afford cheapest electric cars
- Analysis shows drivers need to be spending at least £2,100 on their current car
The figure – equivalent to ten million households – highlights how many ordinary families will struggle to finance the switch from petrol and diesel cars being pushed by ministers.
Even middle-earning households will have difficulty paying for one of the cheapest leased electric vehicles – the £170-a-month Skoda Citigo.
The analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) shows drivers need to be spending at least £2,100 a year on their current car, including fuel, to comfortably afford an electric vehicle.
Households that spend around £1,800 could afford a plug-in car at a squeeze, butthose who spend around £1,400 will have difficulty. Drivers who spend up to that will find it impossible to afford.
CEBR economists said the research proves that ‘access to an electric vehicle is a pipe dream for a third of the population’.
