Women are “more open than men” to the idea of buying a fully electric car, according to research from BuyaCar.co.uk. But they are less confident about knowing where to charge it.

The research found that “the main challenges to growth in the EV market are high prices and uncertainty about the charging process”.

Researchers asked 983 motorists, ‘If the price of an electric car was the same as a petrol or diesel, would you buy one?’ and 28% said they would. But among women the figure rose to 35.4%.

Women are also much less likely to rule out buying an electric vehicle in the future, with 13% of men saying they ‘definitely would not’ compared with just 6% of women.

When it comes to knowing where they would be able to charge their car, a sizeable minority of 29% say they have ‘no idea’ where they could charge an EV – however, for women respondents, 41% had ‘no idea’.

BuyaCar.co.uk’s managing director Austin Collins (pictured) said: “What is interesting about these new figures is the difference between men and women in terms of openness to the idea of buying an all-electric car, despite women being less confident about knowing where to charge one.

“Volvo’s announcement that all its models will be pure electric or petrol-electric hybrids is also the kind of boost this market needs, with the confidence of a major manufacturer in EVs making big news around the world. 

“Although they’re still a niche product, the latest figures show that electric car sales have been quietly growing fast. For example, in May this year sales of pure electric cars were 79% up on the same month last year and the year to date figure was an impressive 46% higher than the same period in 2016.”

Buyacar will be exhibiting at Automotive Management Live. To find out more visit the event page.