ROME – The expensive fuel affects the change in the choices of motorists. In Great Britain, for example, the famous used car marketplace CarGurus commissioned a study which found that fuel consumption has become the number one priority for UK shoppers: 57% believe it to be one of the most important factors. when considering buying a car. The research, in addition to the greater attention paid to low fuel consumption vehicles, highlighted a more limited use of the car and a clear increase in interest in electric cars compared to the past. In the study, fuel consumption (57%) relegates reliability (55%) to second place on the list of buyers’ concerns, ahead of road tax (25%), which rose from sixth to third on the scale of most important factors for the British, as the cost of living continues to rise. With regard to the factors that can influence the choice towards a greener or low-consumption car, almost half of the sample of respondents (43%) cited the increase in fuel prices. Furthermore, around a third (31%) referred to the fight against climate change, and only 57% said they would still have bought the car they currently own if fuel prices had been the same today.
Just under a quarter of respondents (23%) would have chosen a cheaper model to run, and nearly one in ten (8%) said they would buy an electric vehicle or nothing at all. Respondents also reported that rising fuel prices caused them to change the way they use their car and about half (47%) said they avoid unnecessary car trips, 37% chose to walk more often, 18% use public transport and 12% use bicycles. On switching their combustion car for an electric model, nearly a quarter of the sample (22%) said they had started considering purchasing an electric vehicle following recent fuel price hikes, even though infrastructure shortages represent still an obstacle. Over three-quarters (67%) of those considering purchasing an electric vehicle said rising fuel prices brought forward the date by which they plan to switch to an electric vehicle, and nearly one-fifth ( 18%) this advance could be up to three years compared to what was estimated.