New analysis on electric vehicle take-up and usage has revealed that just one in 10 EV owners are women.

Carried out by independent charging app Bonnet, the poll of 2,000+ electric car owners highlights that much more needs to be done to encourage women to go electric.

The survey also found that households with higher incomes are much more likely to own an EV – with nearly a third of drivers saying their household income is above £81,000.

Other headline findings include:

• Most car owners tend to be married (57%) with only 12% drivers saying they are single.
• Cost savings remain the main reason people choose an electric car – with half of people identifying the reason – with only a third saying the environment
• Four in 10 drivers use public chargers each week – with 57% picking chargers based on price.
• Only 3% said the brand name or reputation of a charging network affected their decision on where to charge up – and only 15% choose locations based on reliability.

Ginny Buckley, founder and CEO of Electrifying.com, said the clear gender imbalance in electric car ownership is something that both industry and legislators need to take seriously.

“Everyone – regardless of their gender – should feel comfortable making the switch to electric and this can’t be done without addressing drivers’ concerns. For example, our own data tells us that nearly 25% of people have felt unsafe when charging in public. This is clearly a huge issue, particularly for women, as plugging in an electric car should be as safe, easy and reliable as refilling it with fuel.

“Apps such as Bonnet are paving the way for this to happen, but more needs to be done to make sure everyone can be brought along on the journey. We need a more inclusive conversation about electric cars, as well as improved lighting, CCTV cameras and better signage at all public chargers. Without taking these steps, we risk leaving vast amounts of people behind in the energy transition.”

Patrick Reich, CEO and co-founder of EV charging app Bonnet, also called for action to bridge the gender gap to ensure EV ownership works for everyone.

“It’s still early days, though as more and more people continue to jump into EVs, drivers will become increasingly familiar with them and how they work,” he added. “We know from talking to our customers that many people tend to buy EVs after hearing the positive experiences of friends, family and colleagues.”