Nearly 40 per cent of BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Jaguar drivers said they would buy, or seriously consider buying, an all-electric car capable of 300 miles from one charge from their brand.
WeLoveAnyCar.com surveyed 24,227 owners of the prestige cars and the results suggest the market for all electric cars is ready to move to the mainstream and possibly become one of the most important car market sectors in the next 10 years. Currently, only the US- made Tesla (pictured) has range and performance figures considered in the survey, but now solid evidence exists that the European brands' investment in all-electric technology could be a way to increase sales and retain customers. Each car owner in the survey (3,896 Jaguar owners, 8,154 BMW, 6,240 Mercedes and 5,937 Audi drivers) was asked: "All other things being equal (price, style, options and performance), would you consider buying a totally electric Jaguar/ BMW/ Mercedes/Audi with a range of 300 miles from one charge?"
A WeLoveAnyCar.com spokesman said: "The results are remarkably similar across all prestige brands. BMW drivers are perhaps more open but, with around 40% of all prestige brand car owners surveyed saying they would, or would seriously consider, buying an all-electric car, manufacturers interested in retaining their market share must take note."
Only 12 to 17 per cent of all respondents said they'd never buy an electric car with a 300-mile range.
