A new survey commissioned by E.ON Next has found that a quarter of young Britons believe owning a petrol car is as outdated as having a landline telephone, with more than half saying they want their first car to be electric.
The survey questioned 1,500 young drivers aged 17 to 20 about their attitudes to petrol and electric cars. It found that 55 per cent now want their first car to be an electric vehicle, or EV.
Cost was the main reason respondents gave for wanting an electric car, cited by 20 per cent, closely followed by the ease of being able to charge at home, mentioned by 19 per cent.
A fifth of those surveyed said they could not see themselves ever driving a petrol car, while almost two-thirds said they expect petrol and diesel cars to disappear within their lifetime. Twenty-four per cent said they would not buy a new petrol or diesel car at all, and 53 per cent agreed they would be the last generation to routinely drive one.
EV expert on the shift among young drivers
EV expert Robert Llewellyn, the actor and broadcaster best known for presenting the online motoring series Fully Charged, said: "This generation isn't growing up with the assumption that their first car will be petrol."
"They're looking at what's available today and making a practical choice," he said. "There are more electric vehicles to choose from than ever before, more affordable ways to get behind the wheel, and the opportunity to keep running costs down by charging at home."
"For many young drivers, going electric isn't a statement about the future; it's simply the option that makes the most sense today," he added.
Savings on fuel and home charging
Gráinne Regan, Propositions Director at E.ON Next, said: "More than half of young drivers want their first car to be electric, and it's clear to see they may be onto something."
"With savings of up to £890 in the first year compared with fuel and overnight home charging for as little as £8, an EV is becoming an increasingly accessible choice for the next generation of drivers," she said.
E.ON Next is a UK energy supplier and part of the E.ON group, which also offers home electric vehicle charging tariffs and equipment to customers.
A contrasting picture on driving fears
The findings may come as a surprise given a recent, separate survey which found that many members of Generation Z are scared of driving. Experts from Tempcover, a UK short-term car insurance provider, asked young people about the everyday motoring tasks they find most daunting.
Changing a flat tyre and jump-starting a car with a dead battery were the biggest fears, each cited by 36 per cent of respondents. Parallel parking, hill starts, and merging onto a motorway also featured heavily among the tasks that unsettle young drivers.
The full list of fears reported by Tempcover was:
- Changing a flat tyre (36%)
- Jump-starting the car when the battery is dead (36%)
- Parallel parking (24%)
- Checking the tyre pressure at a garage and topping them up with air (22%)
- Hill starts (22%)
- Checking oil levels (20%)
- Calling the insurance company or claiming (19%)
- Driving on the motorway (18%)
- Merging onto a motorway (18%)
- Calling the breakdown cover company (18%)
Young drivers venting on TikTok
The findings will come as no surprise to many Gen Z, who regularly post about their driving phobias on TikTok.
"POV: the panic suddenly sets in when you're about to drive somewhere new and you don't know the parking situation," TikTok user @artemis_alexis said.
@romillyjane posted a video from inside her car, venting: "People always think I'm being dramatic, but this is awful. Hate it, hate it, hate it."
And @loulroberts added: "I've never even been close to a motorway. Even if I'm on a roundabout and one of the exits is a motorway, I get panicky."
