Beat the electric surge | Advice - Car News Jan 2019

10:23 Tuesday 08 Jan 2019

Buy electric now to get ahead of the game, say industry experts.

With sales of pure electric cars predicted to surge in 2019, experts warn that rising demand will eventually lead to a knock-on effect on lead times.

New figures reveal a 69.5% growth in electric vehicle sales against a 3% decline for the new car market overall, and in November 2018 almost one in every hundred cars registered was pure electric.

The unequivocal advice from electric vehicle consumer website DrivingElectric.com to anyone thinking of switching to electric power is that there is no better time.

“Because EVs are seeing a global surge in interest, anyone who has pondered the idea of buying one is advised to stop dithering from this point and get ahead of any future supply bottlenecks caused by their popularity”, said DrivingElectric.com associate editor Vicky Parrott, adding “It’s time to stop pondering and pounce instead.”

Already there are signs that new orders are taking a little longer to be delivered, with research by the site showing that lead times for electric cars in the UK typically stretch from the usual 10 or 12 weeks to an expected six months for the highly desirable new Jaguar I-PACE. Supplies are already low on some models, like the outgoing Kia Soul, with the manufacturer saying there are now none left in stock and just a few left in showrooms. Most models in Hyundai’s electric and plug-in hybrid line up carry a wait of around four months for delivery, while the Kona Electric is so popular that figure is around ten months.

“It has been a remarkable year for electric cars with the segment performing much more strongly than the overall market”, explained Vicky Parrott.

“During 2018 the total of all new car registrations was nearly seven per cent down by November compared with the same period in 2017. But pure electric cars were up by over ten per cent. And in November itself, compared to the same month a year ago, the overall market was 3% smaller while battery electric vehicles were nearly 70% ahead on the same month last year. With every sign that electric cars are immune to the doldrums much of the rest of the market has found itself in during 2018 we expect demand to rise even faster next year.”