Study shows European drivers travelling further in EVs than petrol or diesel cars

A study of 7,000 European drivers has shown fully-electric vehicles are clocking up the most kilometres on the roads each year, being driven more on average than their petrol and diesel counterparts.

The research commissioned by Nissan, found, on average, EV drivers travel more than 14,200km annually, while owners of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles commute 600km less.

Based on pre-COVID data, the study also looked at attitudes towards EV ownership and operation, not only from the owners of electric vehicles but also those who have their doubts about embracing the technology.

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A large majority of existing EV owners are happy with the infrastructure in place, 69 per cent responding they're satisfied with the charging accessibility available with only 23 per cent saying the most common myth about EV ownership is a lack of infrastructure.

Despite the seemingly high levels of satisfaction within those who already own an EV, 56 per cent of respondents who weren't considering purchasing an EV said they won't consider investing in electric due to a lack of charging points, while 30 per cent stated better infrastructure would convince them to make the switch.

While 47 per cent of ICE car drivers believe getting a better range from fuel is the reason not to make the switch, EV owners think differently. In the survey, 70 per cent of people regularly driving an EV responded they had been experiencing better range than expected and 28 per cent stated running out of charge is a myth.

The EV community was also asked to respond to some of the misconceptions surrounding electric cars, with 31 per cent believing the biggest falsehood is a higher cost than ICE vehicles, while 30 per cent think charging time is the biggest reason which turns people off.

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Nissan AMIEO Vice President, Arnaud Charpentier, believes the research will help persuade more people towards EV ownership.

“This research reiterates that electric driving is not only a smart option beneficial to the environment but also a fun, exciting and convenient choice for the owners," said Mr Charpentier.

"It is no surprise that people now drive EV further than ICE cars. We are confident that with more EVs on the road dispelling myths, range anxiety will soon be in the past.

“With EVs on the cusp of wide-spread adoption, we can be confident these positive findings should help change the opinion of the ICE drivers for whom a degree of range anxiety is still preventing them from converting to electric mobility.”

Nissan Australia currently only sells one EV vehicle Down Under, the Leaf, which entered production in 2010 and is available in two variants.