Britain’s electric transition is accelerating, but it’s creating an unexpected divide among drivers – and it has little to do with price or range concerns.
Electric vehicles now represent nearly a quarter of new car registrations, yet research from Auto Trader reveals that confidence, not cost, has become the main barrier preventing women from making the switch. Seventeen percent of women cited lack of technology knowledge as their primary concern about buying an EV.
Among men, that figure dropped to just eight percent.
This confidence gap presents a challenge for an industry racing to meet ambitious electrification targets. With men showing greater enthusiasm for EVs, the transition risks becoming unbalanced – driven by half the driving population while the other half remains hesitant.
The data paints a clear picture. Only eight percent of women actively considered an EV during their last new car purchase, compared with 12 percent of men who felt ready to move away from petrol.
Range anxiety affects both groups, but women expressed notably less confidence in Britain’s public charging infrastructure, especially for longer trips. Previous Auto Trader studies found many women view EVs as an additional burden rather than an opportunity to adopt cleaner technology.
Ian Plummer, commercial director at Auto Trader, said the findings highlight how poorly the industry communicates with female buyers.
“With electrification, the automotive industry has a massive opportunity to fundamentally change the way we talk about, market and sell cars to women. We’d like to see significant action from the industry to address the gender gaps we’ve uncovered, so that more drivers feel confident enough to make the switch.”
The research comes as ministers consider easing the zero-emission vehicle mandate, which requires 80 percent of new car sales to be fully electric by 2030. Manufacturers have lobbied to reduce that target to 50 percent, arguing the current requirement threatens jobs.
Recent registration figures underscore the pressure. The latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders shows EVs at 23.9 percent market share – well below the 33 percent the mandate demands by 2026.
Reaching that trajectory means converting far more cautious buyers, with women representing a crucial segment.
“We need as many car buyers as possible to get on board with electric cars in order to hit the steep annual targets that are coming in the next few years of the ZEV mandate,” Plummer explained. Calls to soften those targets only highlight the challenge – every unconvinced buyer makes the math more difficult.
Industry Response
Some manufacturers are adapting their approach. Renault and Volkswagen have deliberately targeted women in their advertising campaigns, while industry groups focused on attracting more women to the sector have emerged.
Auto Trader’s research, published with British Gas, argues that EV messaging relies too heavily on technical specifications rather than priorities many buyers actually value – safety and ease of use.
Gill Nowell, founder of Global Women in EV Day, reframes the issue entirely. The problem isn’t female drivers, she argues – it’s who designs the cars and supporting infrastructure.
“I don’t think women have an EV problem. I think the EV sector has a representation problem.”
Historically, the industry paid insufficient attention to key factors at public charging sites:
- Safety considerations
- Accessibility features
- Adequate lighting
- Proper facilities
- User-friendly design
“Increasingly it is doing so, but these are consumer considerations that can significantly influence perceptions and adoption,” Nowell noted.
The gender gap isn’t about women being slow to embrace electric cars – it’s about an industry that has, until recently, designed products, charging networks and sales approaches with a narrow buyer profile in mind.
Closing that representation gap through improved marketing, showroom experiences and charging infrastructure could transform a large skeptical group into persuadable customers. With 2030 targets approaching rapidly, the industry can’t afford to leave them behind.
