New EV brands struggle to gain recognition among two-thirds of car buyers

author: FutureCar Staff    

New electric car brands in the UK may be facing a hurdle to success - lack of recognition among the British public. A recent survey revealed that two out of three new car buyers are not familiar with a range of electric car brands that have emerged in recent years, despite some of them already being available for purchase in the UK. However, this lack of awareness does not deter a third of buyers from considering buying a used car from a new brand, compared to just over a quarter who would opt for a new car.

eBay Motors Group conducted a survey of 2,000 buyers regarding 10 electric car brands from the US and China. The survey found that the highest levels of awareness were for Chery (16%), Fisker (11%), Rivian (9%), Lucid Motors (8%), and Nio (7%), all of which have yet to enter the UK market. On the other hand, awareness of brands 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 dealers this week and plans 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 offered in Britain.

With many new electric vehicle manufacturers originating from China, the survey revealed that a third of all buyers would be confident in purchasing a car from a Chinese brand. The most likely customers to consider Chinese brands were men and those under the age of 45.

Lucy Tugby, the marketing director of eBay Motors Group, commented on the findings, stating, "The rollout of new EV brands from the US and China is set to accelerate, but our research shows just how low consumer awareness is of many of them, even those currently on sale in the UK. However, as we've seen from the growing popularity of Korean brands since the 1990s and the successful introduction of Dacia a decade ago, buyers become increasingly receptive to new brands that deliver on affordability and offer good customer buying experiences. While awareness of many of these new EV brands may be low today, buyers are not ruling them out, with our data showing an appetite for consideration once models enter the used market, especially among younger buyers. Consideration is likely to only grow in the future."

Consumer recognition of the top 10 EV brands is as follows:

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