Study finds up to half of all electric-car owners considering a switch back to petrol power

Approximately half of the people who already own an electric car are considering a switch back to petrol or diesel power for their next vehicle – unless they own a Tesla.

According to a US study from S&P Global Mobility, first reported on by website Electrek, three-quarters of electric vehicle owners say that would buy another battery-powered car – but that number falls to about half once Tesla owners are removed from the statistics.

On average, the study found households with an electric vehicle are only 52.1 per cent likely to buy another for their next purchase – whether that's as a second car or as a replacement – citing pricing, charging infrastructure, and driving range as their reasons against another zero-emissions car.

However, with Tesla owners included, that figure increases to 72.6 per cent – an increase of almost 25 per cent over the past three years.

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Households with an electric Nissan said there was a 63.2 per cent chance of them buying another battery-powered car – though 14.3 per cent said they would consider a Tesla Model Y next time, while 12.4 per cent would choose a Nissan Leaf.

"The [car companies] are spending huge amounts of money to develop [electric vehicles]," associate director for loyalty solutions and industry analysis at S&P Global Mobility Tom Libby said in a written statement.

"So the last thing they want is for an [electric-vehicle] owner to go back to [car with a petrol or diesel engine]."

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Among luxury brands, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar saw electric-vehicle preference increase by more than 30 per cent over three years to 56.6 per cent each.

Porsche saw the least amount of growth among luxury marques over the same period, with less than 37 per cent considering another electric car, and while it remains ahead of Porsche, BMW went backwards – with 45.9 per cent agreeing, compared to 46.6 per cent three years ago.