Going electric: The most anticipated EVs in the UK

Tesla is recalling the Cybertruck over a defect on the accelerator panel – Copyright POLAR BEARS INTERNATIONAL/AFP Steven C. AMSTRUP

As the UK moves closer to its 2035 diesel and petrol car ban (the outcome of the General Election pending) the number of electric vehicles on the roads is increasing. To support the policy, a new £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund has been introduced, alongside an additional £15 million for the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS).

As of the end of May 2024, there were 1,110,000 fully electric cars on UK roads according to ZapMap.

The company Hippo Leasing has analysed Google search data for 92 yet-to-be-released EVs to uncover which will be the most popular as more people make the switch to electric. The output has been provided to Digital Journal.

The Tesla Cybertruck is the most searched-for future electric vehicle in the UK

For the data, Hippo Leasing analysed Google search data of 92 electric vehicles that are yet to be released. The data collection period spanned six months, from October 2023 to March 2024. Hippo Leasing then used this data to reveal the top five most-searched-for models. 

While the Tesla Cybertruck is available in the U.S., it is yet to be released in the UK., yet it remains the most searched-for future electric vehicle by some distance. There were 274,200 more Google searches in the UK across the past six months for the Cybertruck than the Mercedes EQG, the second most searched future electric vehicle.

The Tesla Cybertruck was first announced back in 2019, so it has had time to build momentum. According to Elon Musk, the design of the Cybertruck was inspired by Blade Runner and “Wet Nellie”, the Lotus Esprit driven by James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me.

With the second most searched-for future electric vehicle, the Mercedes EQG, Mercedes Benz first revealed the EQG concept in 2021, an electric version of the G-class, and it is reported to go into production this year. 

The Cybertruck was not the only Tesla model in the top five, with the Tesla Roadster in third place. The Roadster was initially meant to be launched in 2021, however, it has been announced that it should be revealed in full at the end of this year.