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Why fewer and fewer Austrians want an electric car

(Bild: P. Huber)

Electric cars have clearly lost their appeal in Austria: Only 40 percent would generally buy an electric car next. A year ago, this figure was still 47 percent.

This is the result of a recent survey by the auditing and consulting organization EY. More people currently want to buy a new car than last year. Regardless of motorization, 28% of those surveyed plan to purchase a new vehicle within the next two years - last year, this figure was only 22%.

Trend towards plug-in hybrids
Interest in purely electric vehicles has more than halved within a year, falling from 23% to 12%. Interest in buying hybrid vehicles has also fallen significantly, from 17% to 8%. However, interest in plug-in hybrids has risen massively: While only 7 percent of respondents were interested in these last year, around 19 percent are now enthusiastic about them.

Reasons for the electric slump
The change of heart when it comes to electromobility is easy to explain: "The interest in electric cars is there in principle, but many Austrians are still concerned about the range and the costs of running them," says Axel Preiss from EY. "The registration figures for this market segment are also developing accordingly." And for 21 percent of those surveyed, the lack of charging infrastructure is still an obstacle to buying an electric car.

With only 40 percent of those interested in buying electric cars and skepticism towards electromobility, Austria is one of the laggards internationally: Only in the USA (34 percent) and the Czech Republic (27 percent) is interest even lower, according to the EY Mobility Consumer Index 2024. However, interest in Germany is also below the European average at 53%.

The greatest interest in electric cars is in China (79%), followed by Singapore and Thailand (both 73%). In Europe, Norway stands out with 72%. More than 19,000 consumers in 28 countries - 500 of them in Austria - were surveyed for the EY Mobility Consumer Index.