Stockport motorists among nation’s top adopters of electric vehicles

Drivers in Stockport are among some of the keenest adopters of electric vehicles, new research has found, with the number of electric vehicles on the borough’s roads over six times the national average.

Research from car insurance experts at money.co.uk has found that fully electric vehicles represent 10.06% of the total cars in the borough, with only Slough in Berkshire (11.98%) having a greater percentage of zero-emissions vehicles on its roads. Stockport was the only local authority area in the North of England to make money.co.uk’s top 10, with Peterborough and Renfrewshire the only other districts outside of South East England.

Despite over 10% of Stockport cars being electric powered, electric vehicles represent just 1.5% of all cars on the road in the UK as a whole, with adoption in some areas including parts of Northern Ireland and the South Wales Valleys between 0.2% and 0.3%.

The research into electric vehicle ownership across the UK was sparked by recent shortages at petrol pumps across the country, which will have given many drivers of fossil fuel-powered cars another argument in favour of switching to a greener vehicle.

James Andrews, senior car insurance editor for money.co.uk commented:

The frustration of waiting in line only to see the car in front of you empty the pump is enough to make most people think hard about going electric and see those who already have feeling glad that they did.

“However, with plug-in cars making up less than two per cent of vehicles on our roads, more needs to be done in order to incentivise motorists to make the move to electric or the UK risks missing its emission targets, while also leaving itself exposed to future supply issues.

“The EV market has grown considerably in recent years and there are plenty of affordable options to choose from. So, if you’re on the hunt for an electric car or just debating whether you should ditch the gas guzzler, it’s a good idea to do a little research first to familiarise yourself with the pros and cons.

“And just like with any large financial decision, always take the time to shop around to make sure you’re getting the best deal for you.”

With electrical vehicle adoption a key pillar of plans for the UK to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, a zero-carbon battle bus from Planet Mark will be at The Light Cinema in Stockport as part of the first Sustainability in Action Summit, hosted by Marketing Stockport and One+All, ahead of the COP26 global climate change conference in Glasgow next more. Find out more and book your tickets to attend at the link below: