New EV brands struggle to gain recognition among car buyers

author: FutureCar Staff    

New electric car brands in the UK are facing a major hurdle in achieving success - lack of recognition among the British public. According to a recent survey, two-thirds of new car buyers are not familiar with the various new electric car brands that have emerged in recent years, despite some of them already being available for purchase in the UK.

Interestingly, this lack of awareness does not deter a third of buyers from considering buying a used car from a new electric car brand, compared to just over a quarter who would prefer to buy new. The survey, conducted by eBay Motors Group, involved 2,000 buyers and focused on 10 electric car brands from the US and China.

The survey revealed that the highest levels of awareness were for Chery (16%), Fisker (11%), Rivian (9%), Lucid Motors (8%), and Nio (7%), all of which are yet to enter the UK market. However, the awareness of brands that are already available for sale in the UK was lower, with only 6% of respondents having heard of BYD and just 4% recognizing GWM Ora, despite both brands being on sale for several months.

GWM Ora, the maker of the Funky Cat, even announced the appointment of two new dealerships this week and aims to have 20 sales sites by the end of the year. Other brands with low awareness included Lynk & Co (5%), Aiways (4%), and Zeekr (3%), none of which are currently available in Britain.

Interestingly, a third of all buyers expressed confidence in purchasing a car from a Chinese brand, with men and those aged under 45 being the most likely customers. Lucy Tugby, the marketing director of eBay Motors Group, highlighted the low consumer awareness of many new electric car brands, even those already on sale in the UK. However, Tugby emphasized that buyers tend to become more receptive to new brands that offer affordability and a positive customer buying experience, as seen with the growing popularity of Korean brands in the past and the successful introduction of Dacia a decade ago.

While awareness of these new electric car brands may be low at present, the data suggests that buyers are not ruling them out, especially among younger buyers who show an appetite for consideration once these models enter the used car market. Tugby believes that consideration for these brands will only increase in the future.

Here are the 10 electric car brands ranked by consumer recognition:

1. Chery - 16.0%
2. Fisker - 10.8%
3. Rivian - 8.5%
4. Lucid - 8.4%
5. Nio - 7.2%
6. BYD - 6.3%
7. Lynk & Co - 5.0%
8. Ora - 4.2%
9. Aiways - 4.1%
10. Zeekr - 2.9%

FutureCar Staff