Fossil fuel spikes spurring switch to EVs
30 June 2026
The volatility and spiking of petrol and diesel prices is making almost a quarter of UK drivers say they are more likely to switch to or keep driving an Electric Vehicle (EV) when they get their next car.
In a CTEK survey of more than 1,000 UK drivers, by Find Out Now, 23% said they are more likely to drive electric next due to high prices at the pumps.
Drivers in their thirties are the most influenced (31%) by high petrol and diesel prices with older drivers less motivated to switch to EVs (16% of 65-74-year-olds and 15% of those 74-plus).
One in five (20%) purely petrol or diesel drivers in the survey say they are more likely to switch to electric due to the global rises in the price of oil. More than half already behind the wheel of a fully electric car (BEV) are even more resolved to stick with electric as their next car.
The turmoil in the global oil markets has led towards a £2 litre of diesel on UK forecourts. Today's Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) drivers have ever more reason to consider electric.
Increasingly the household budget sums add up in favour of EVs, whether that's buying new with the help of the UK Government's purchase grant or used thanks to the increasing availability of great quality EVs with miles on the clock.
To help accelerate the switch, much more provision of public charging must be a priority to empower drivers without the ability to charge cheaply at home. CTEK's survey shows a growing desire to drive electric and more charging provision is a key enabler of turning that into more EVs on our roads.
Many UK drivers are content for now to stick with the driving fuel they know. But spiking petrol and diesel prices are challenging that inertia and tipping more drivers into calculating that it will pay to go greener.
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