Survey: 70% of the Kingdom’s population shows interest in electric cars

A study showed that 7 out of 10 of the Kingdom’s population (70%) show a “great” or “moderate” interest in purchasing battery-powered electric cars, and this number is expected to rise to 85% by 2035, indicating huge potential for this growth. sector in the Saudi market in the coming years.

The Chinese market, the largest automobile market in the world, shows a “large” or “medium” interest of approximately 100% of consumers to purchase battery-powered electric vehicles, while the American and European markets show stability in consumers’ desire to purchase this type of vehicle at around 35% to 43%.

Both cost and charging are a major concern for consumers around the world when choosing their battery-powered electric cars, but survey participants from the Kingdom showed, in addition to these two factors, concerns related to safety, complications of use, and after-sales services.

The survey results also indicate that the flexibility of charging solutions and vehicle driving range are among the main factors driving consumers in the Kingdom to choose hybrid electric vehicles instead of battery-powered electric vehicles, which is consistent with similar global trends in both the United States of America and Europe.

It is worth noting that 93% of participants in Saudi Arabia who showed a “large” or “moderate” interest in owning battery-powered electric cars also showed a “large” or “moderate” interest in purchasing or leasing a plug-in hybrid electric car as their next option. This is according to a global survey of electric vehicle consumers for the year 2024, issued by the global consulting company “Alex Partners”.

The opinion poll also highlights the booming electric car scene in Saudi Arabia, as Chinese electric car manufacturers, after mastering their local markets, are moving to expand into global markets. It must be noted that consumers in the Kingdom have a high level of knowledge about Chinese electric car brands. 93% of “very likely” and “likely” potential purchasers are familiar with at least one Chinese brand. The Chinese brand “BYD” occupies the forefront among these brands.

These results indicate a notable difference in consumers’ awareness of Chinese brands; Global figures show that between 47% and 71% of potential electric vehicle buyers are familiar with one or more Chinese brands.

The survey included 10,000 participants from ten major markets, which represent more than 80% of global battery electric vehicle sales, at a rate of 1,000 participants per market. The survey measured public interest in battery-powered electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, assessed consumer sensitivity to prices, and participants’ knowledge and awareness of these vehicles on a global scale.