While the 2022 edition of the ‘Autofestival’ promises to put a greater emphasis on electric mobility, 51% of Luxembourg residents who need a car will buy “a hybrid or electric vehicle” for their first or next purchase. More precisely, “31% of those surveyed would buy a hybrid vehicle and 20% would opt for an electric vehicle,” according to the EIB, which has just published a survey on the subject. This leaves 49% of motorists in favour of a combustion engine, either diesel or petrol.
While the ratio is in favour of less polluting vehicles, the trend is clearly below the European average, which is 67%. In Europe, Luxembourg is second to last in terms of intentions to purchase electric or hybrid vehicles. Far, far away from the champions in this field: Cyprus, Portugal, and Malta.
According to the EIB study, there are also major differences in purchase intentions, specifically depending on the age of the buyer. In fact, the 15–to-29-year-olds are more likely to choose an internal combustion vehicle (less expensive and more autonomous) than a hybrid or electric car. The same is true of people aged between 30 and 64, who are more likely to opt for a more traditional engine. The ratio is reversed among residents aged 65 and over: less than four out of ten (36%) will opt for a combustion engine. This is hardly more than for electric (33%) or hybrid (31%) vehicles.
According to the survey results, a price dynamic is also emerging. Residents with low incomes are more likely to opt for a cheap internal combustion vehicle than for a hybrid or electric vehicle that costs more to buy. And without a clear improvement in purchasing power, or a new government subsidy, it is not certain that the environmental aspect will convince them to switch to a greener engine.
Methodology: More than 30,000 people took part in this study carried out for the EIB by the company BVA. The survey was conducted between 26 August and 22 September 2021, with a representative panel for each of the 30 countries examined.
