Electric cars Is the cost too high to convince drivers to switch?

Cars are money sinks: the second biggest purchase most people will ever make also requires spending large amounts just to keep them on the road.

- Jasper Jolly

It is no surprise, then, that claims that electric cars will add to the bills have alarmed drivers around the world. But are they too expensive for people to switch from petrol and diesel?

The claim  

In September Rishi Sunak delayed a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars until 2035, in part “because the upfront cost is still high – especially for families struggling with the cost of living”.

Across the world reactionary politicians have opposed electric cars, and cost has been a key factor in their complaints. In the US, Donald Trump has attacked electric cars as “too expensive”, as well as on concerns about “range anxiety”. In France, the National Rally’s Marine Le Pen has set herself against electric cars, arguing the car will become a luxury product out of reach of Europe’s poorest.

The science

Any cost comparison between electric and internal combustion engine cars needs to take into account the upfront “sticker” cost of actually buying the car, and then the costs of running and maintaining it over its lifetime until it is sold or scrapped.

On upfront cost electric cars are on average more expensive – in part because no manufacturer has produced a genuinely affordable mass-market electric vehicle. However, that is changing as manufacturers start making them at scale, which pushes down costs.