Are women being left behind in the electric transition?

Women do not look forward to the car-buying process (50% dislike most or all of it). They aren’t excited by the research phase, and few women view or create car content on any platforms. Almost 70% of women don’t trust car dealerships and 43% of women don’t trust car brands.

“I’d rather buy a fridge than a car”

Today, 49% of driving licences are held by women, who have more disposable wealth and independence than ever. They are the majority consumer in the UK and enjoy spending their considerable money on products that reflect their lifestyles, beliefs, desires and their status. Cars, however, aren’t on that shopping list. 

The automotive industry has been preparing for a significant step-change in the way they operate as more and more electric vehicles are produced, marketed and sold in the UK. And yet, as our new data shows, the gender gap is widening.  

A third of men considered an electric car compared to one fifth of women.

Why is this happening? 

We carried out multiple research projects: one, a nationally representative survey of over 4,000 drivers and the other, backed by Hive from British Gas, a more personal approach to understanding how women think and feel about electric vehicles.  

From a lack of relevant advice and content around running costs and charging, published where women are already engaged, to the differing primary worries female car buyers have from male car buyers (for instance, a significant concern of women, not expressed as frequently by men, is the possibility of running out of charge on a motorway with children in the back), the data demonstrates multiple challenges. Women are also less interested in the virtue-signalling potential of an electric car or buying a car for its advanced technology. 

There can be no doubt that the growing gender gap around EVs is a missed opportunity for the industry and, such is the number of female motorists, may well be the blocker to mass adoption of EVs in the UK as we approach the Government deadline for the ban on selling new petrol and diesel engines in 2030 - a key deadline women are three times more likely to not be aware of than men. 

What are the key barriers? 

For many women, EVs simply feel like an extra hassle to contend with, rather than an exciting opportunity to enjoy new, sustainable technology that has many benefits.  

But these benefits don’t seem to be getting across to the majority of women. Of the current EV owners in our research, there were more than double the number of men than women – with 16% of men owning an EV compared to 7% of women.

These insights are taken from our recent report “No Driver Left Behind: Women and the Journey to Electric”, to read the report in full, click here.