Readers of DrivingElectric have named the Nissan Leaf asthe best-known electric car in the UK, with Tesla voted the most innovative electric-car brand
A survey of more than 700 people carried out by DrivingElectric.com, the UK’s leading electric-car consumer advice brand, has revealed that the Nissan Leaf to be the best-known electric car. Over 94% of respondents – surveyed across DrivingElectric and its sister titles Auto Express and Carbuyer – said they had heard of the Leaf.
Now in its second generation, the Nissan was the first pure-electric production car in the mainstream family car market when it launched in 2010.
The more expensive Tesla Model S and Jaguar I-Pace ranked a close second and third for buyer awareness, with 93% and 89% respectively. The brand-new Honda e, as well as the Mercedes EQC and Smart EQ ForTwo fared worst, with less than 68% of those surveyed having heard of them.
Electric car giant Tesla did well in other areas of the survey, with voters putting the US brand first for leading electric-car adoption in the UK, followed closely by Nissan and Jaguar. Tesla topped the leaderboard when voters were asked which brand had the most innovative electric-car range, too, while Jaguar and BMW came second and third.
Jaguar – which launched the all-electric I-Pace in 2018 – also managed a very worthy win when participants were asked which manufacturer produced the most visually appealing electric cars. Tesla and BMW were runners-up in this category, securing second and third place.
Richard Ingram, editor of DrivingElectric said: “The survey shows that brands that have been selling electric cars for the longest are the ones that buyers are most aware of.
“But with the market now offering such a great array of fantastic plug-in models, it’s more important than ever that consumers do their research on DrivingElectric.com – and consider those models that might not be household names.”
Overall, the survey showed that Nissan, Tesla, Jaguar and BMW are well known as electric-car makers, while other brands such as Mercedes and Volvo scored lower for buyer awareness.
The full results of our 2020 electric-car survey are detailed below, and you can find further details on our website at: http://drivingelectric.com/electric-car-survey
Electric car model awareness
1. Nissan Leaf (94%)
2. Tesla Model S (93%)
3. Jaguar I-Pace (89%)
4. Tesla Model X (88%)
5. BMW i3 (86%)
6. MINI Electric (85%)
7. Volkswagen e-Golf (85%)
8. Hyundai Kona Electric (81%)
9. Renault ZOE (81%)
10. Audi e-tron (81%)
11. Vauxhall Corsa-e (79%)
12. Volkswagen e-up! (77%)
13. Peugeot e-208 (71%)
14. Honda e (68%)
15. Mercedes EQC (55%
16. Smart EQ ForTwo (45%)
Brands leading electric-car adoption in the UK
1. Tesla
2. Nissan
3. Jaguar
4. BMW
5. Renault
6. Hyundai
7. Kia
8. Volkswagen
9. Audi
10.Volvo
Brands producing the mostinnovative electric cars
1. Tesla
2. Jaguar
3. BMW
4. Nissan
5. Hyundai
6. Kia
7. Volkswagen
8. Renault
9. Audi
10.Honda
Brands producing the most visually appealing electric cars
1. Jaguar
2. Tesla
3. BMW
4. Audi
5. Mercedes
6. Volvo
7. Volkswagen
8. Peugeot
9. Hyundai
10.Kia