- Families could save up to 60% off fuel bills by switching to electric
- Safety, low running costs and practicality are top priorities when choosing a family car
- Expert anthropological study shows that families could save up to €3,385≠ each year by making the switch to an electric car
Families could carve as much as 60 percent off monthly fuel bills by making the switch to electric. This equates to a saving of €24† each month, for the average European family.
Equivalent to a family meal, a trip to the cinema or new clothes; the extra cash may well tip the balance when it comes to picking the next family car; according to a recent study by Nissan.
The European families surveyed rated safety, low running costs and practicality as the top priorities when selecting a family car; far ahead of considerations such as comfort or performance.[1]
The findings, part of an expert study commissioned by Nissan to look at electric vehicle (EV) ownership and the role of the family car, surveyed motorists with children across six European countries.
Nissan engaged renowned anthropologists, Stripe Partners, to assess the everyday realities of electric vehicle ownership in the context of the demands and dynamics of subject families from the UK and Norway, the two largest markets in Europe for the Nissan LEAF in 2014. In Norway alone Nissan LEAF sales have risen by 1200% since 2011. While the UK clocked up 4,051 sales last year, more than doubling the volume sold in 2013.[2]
And it’s easy to see why; one of the participants, Martin Brady from Dorridge, UK claimed to have saved €3,385 since adopting the Nissan LEAF as the family’s primary mode of transport. He said: “I’d be surprised if it costs me much more than a fiver (£5) a week. I mainly charge at work.”
As many as 89 percent of LEAF drivers charge overnight at home, benefiting from a cost per km of just three cents or less†. This leads to ample savings for the average family, money which is being redeemed against a wide range of items, from solar panels to home improvements‡.
Jarl Hovind from Oslo, Norway comments: “I don’t spend more than NOK3 (39 cents) per 10km on charging the LEAF.”
Commenting on the research, Jean-Pierre Diernaz, Director of Electric Vehicles for Nissan in Europe, said: “As fuel prices continue to fluctuate right across Europe, there’s one thing customers can be certain of – electric cars are incredibly economical.”
He continued: “We’ve seen more and more drivers become disillusioned by the price of motoring in recent years, and this trend will continue unless more families make the switch to electric vehicles.”
The Nissan LEAF is the world’s best-selling pure-electric vehicle amassing approximately 177,000 sales since its launch in 2010. To date, Nissan LEAF owners have covered more than one billion all-electric kilometres.
* Total sample size was 5,568 commissioned in UK (1,033), Germany (1,010), France (1,003), Italy (1,012), Spain (1,005) and Norway (505). The sample is of adults who have one of their children living at home with them and access to a car in each country. An even weighting was applied to each country to find a ‘European Average’. Fieldwork undertaken 29th October – 06th November 2014
† Based on a Nissan Note 1.5dci costing €40.76 a month (€10.19 a week) versus €16.64 (€4.16 a week) in the LEAF; diesel prices correct as of 22/04/15 and calculated over an average distance of 208km per week travelled. Totals based on Nissan’s Global Data Center (GDC) as of 30.09.2014 (UTC).
≠According to a Nissan LEAF owner in the UK questioned by STRIPE Partners. Fieldwork was undertaken between 27th October – 7th November 2014
‡Survey completed by 76 current owners of the Nissan LEAF. Research undertaken by Nissan Motor (GB) Limited
[1] Safety: 35 percent, Low running costs: 28 percent, Practicality: 19 percent, Comfort: 11 percent, Performance: 5 percent. Areas of practicality covered in the survey were: boot space, internal roominess and technology.
[2] According to Nissan LEAF data
