Future Drive: Marketing conference with Autotrader
On 7 October, we hosted the Future Drive event in London, bringing together OEMs to explore how the car buying journey is evolving. There are now 1.6 million battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on UK roads, which is 7.5 times more than in 2020. Public charging infrastructure has also expanded significantly, with over 85,000 charge points - four times more than in 2020. As a result, EV consideration is increasing, with 41% of car buyers now considering an EV for their next purchase.
Driving the Future: Young people and EVs
Marc Palmer, our Head of Strategy and Insights, led a compelling session on younger buyers and their relationship with EVs. His insights revealed that people under 35 are twice as likely to consider an electric vehicle. Their values and beliefs align more closely with sustainable mobility, and their objections are significantly lower. For example, only 36% of 17–34-year-olds believe EVs are expensive to buy, compared to 67% of those over 55. Marc described this demographic as an “opportunity group”. They care, they’re engaged, and they’re gaining experience, with 20% having driven an EV compared to just 11% of over-55s.
No Driver Left Behind: Women and the Journey to Electric
Next, our Director of PR and Communications, Laura Harvey joined Rebecca Day, founder and CEO of She’s Curious and She’s Electric, to discuss women’s perspectives on EVs. The panel noted that EV consideration among women remains lower, with communication identified as a key area for improvement. Women under 45 are twice as likely to consider an EV than those over 50, yet 48% of women say that buying a car feels stressful and daunting. In response, Rebecca highlighted the importance of tailoring marketing messages that speak directly to women’s needs: “It’s about talking to women in the places and spaces they want to be.”
Is AI living up to the hype?
New Car Director Jon Davies explored whether AI is living up to the hype and the numbers suggest it is. He shared that ChatGPT users now represent 10% of the population, with adoption accelerating rapidly. In the car buying journey, 1 in 10 consumers are already using AI, rising to 1 in 5 among those aged 17–34.
Jon highlighted the groups embracing AI most enthusiastically:
BEV buyers are twice as likely to use AI
New car considerers are also 2x more likely
City centre consumers are 5x more likely to engage with AI tools during their purchase journey
What are our recommendations for when using AI?
Start with real use cases
Design for longevity
Avoid AI for AI’s sake
Embed governance and oversight
Invest in inhouse expertise
So, the key takeaways from today? To accelerate EV adoption, we must look at the opportunity groups and rethink how we communicate to them.
Younger buyers aren’t all the same, so be smart in profiling and targeting them.
Let’s finally fix car buying for women
Work out ‘Why AI’ and make sure the data is ready before you do so.
