Owners of hybrid cars account for almost half of all searches for electric vehicles (EVs), according to automotive ecommerce business drivvn.

Hybrid drivers accounted for 46% of all users of its EV comparator tools, while petrol vehicle drivers were the second-largest users with 28%. Current EV owners were 19% of visits and diesel with 7%.

The data examined more than 119,000 visits to drivvn’s comparator tools and highlights the changing behaviour of buyers as the move to EVs accelerates.

Peter Brown, CEO of drivvn, said: “The online purchase process provides a wealth of information for OEMs and dealers that can be used to support buyers and drive efficiencies through the marketing process.

“Drivers of hybrid vehicles accounted for the vast majority of users of our comparator tools. It suggests that information and offers on EV models should be targeted at this group more closely. Information is key in supporting changes in consumer behaviour.”

Drivvn provides a range of tools to help sales and customer service teams manage the customer through the sales and delivery process.

Its tool was used by Volvo to support the launch of the XC40 Recharge, Volvo’s first pure electric SUV.

Its Journey Manager is a standalone module that integrates digital retail stores with existing dealer management systems, customer relationship management and contact centre platforms. It provides granular detail of each customer and allows immediate interventions if the customer drops out of the purchase at any stage.

Through the drivvn platform, sales and marketing teams can update models, campaigns and offers, whilst Journey Manager enables the sales team to nudge consumers if they get stuck at any stage of the journey.  Customers also have access to ‘my account’ to save configurations and quotes and complete the transactions online.

The drivvn retail platform provides real-time data to improve each element of the sales process from enquiry management right through to sale.