National Travel Attitudes Study (NTAS): Wave 7
Published 23 February 2023
Applies to England
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About this release
The National Travel Attitudes Study (NTAS) is an online and telephone survey which covers responses from individuals aged 16 and over in England, drawn from people who have previously responded to the National Travel Survey (NTS).
This release covers Wave 7 of the NTAS, which collected responses from 2,171 individuals. It is focused on attitudes towards ultra-low emission vehicles and government policies relating to them. There are also sections on long-distance journeys and responses to changes in the cost of living.
A table is available, containing the underlying data for the questions from the survey.
Headline figures
The headline figures for Wave 7 show that:
- whilst only 4% of respondents currently own or have use of a plug-in vehicle (battery electric or plug-in hybrid), 57% report that they are fairly likely or very likely to purchase or lease an ultra-low emission car in the future.
- 4 out of 5 people (80%) believe that battery electric vehicles are too expensive to buy.
- 59% of respondents believe that there are not enough public electric vehicle chargepoints.
- 55% support or strongly support the UK government’s action to increase the proportion of electric vehicles sold by manufacturers.
- 63% of respondents reported that by August or September 2022, they had cut back on non-essential journeys as a response to fuel and energy price rises.
Car ownership and parking
The questions in this section cover household characteristics such as the number and type of vehicles owned, and their parking arrangements.
More than 4 out of 5 (83%) respondents report holding a full or provisional UK driving licence, and 87% report that their household owns or has continuous access to at least one car or van. Within households that have access to a car or van, 85% say they own or have continuous personal access to a car or van, or both.
Of the vehicles available, the majority are petrol or diesel (92%), with 2% being battery electric and 1% plug-in hybrid. The proportions are similar to those in the wider population of England; according to the Department for Transport’s vehicle licensing statistics, 1.2% of licenced road-using cars were plug-in hybrid and 1.8% were battery electric in July to September 2022 (quarter 3) (Table VEH0113).
Chart 1: Fuel type or power of main vehicle
Most vehicle owners (71%) typically park their main vehicle in a private space such as a driveway or garage, and 18% typically park on a road or street. Of those who park on a road or street, 94% do so always or most of the time, and 17% need a parking permit.
These figures vary somewhat when compared to a similar question asked in the main National Travel Survey where, in 2020, 24% reported parking on the street, however the questions were presented differently, with the NTAS providing more detailed options.
Chart 2: Where the main vehicle in a household is typically parked
| Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| In a space I own or that is allocated to me or us, such as a private driveway or garage | 71% |
| On a road or street | 18% |
| In a communal or shared car park at the property | 6% |
| In a private car park | 2% |
| In a public or council car park | 1% |
| Where a friend or family member lives | 1% |
| Other | 0% |
Buying low-emission vehicles
Ultra-low emission cars or vehicles were defined in the survey as battery electric or plug-in hybrid.
When asked if they are likely to buy a low-emission car in the future, 57% of respondents report that they are fairly or very likely to do so. For those who intend to buy a low-emission vehicle in the future, buying outright was the most common intention (55%) with 34% intending to use a loan or finance, and just 9% intending to lease.
When asked about a range of factors that might encourage buying a low-emission car, the most popular factors were lower purchase cost (76%), lower running costs (75%) and convenience of recharging (67%). More local chargepoints (58%) and environmental benefits (57%) were also popular factors.
Chart 3: Percentage of people selecting factors that would encourage them to buy an ultra-low emission car
| Factor | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Lower purchase cost | 76% |
| Lower running costs | 75% |
| Convenience of recharging | 67% |
| More local chargepoints | 58% |
| Environmental benefits | 57% |
| Technology proven to be reliable | 53% |
| Vehicle size or performance or aesthetics | 43% |
| More motorway service area chargepoints | 38% |
| More choice of vehicle available | 38% |
| Safety features or record | 37% |
| More holiday destination chargepoints | 35% |
| Resale or residual value | 34% |
| Local driving restrictions (e.g. Clean Air Zone) | 23% |
| Other | 4% |
| None of the above | 4% |
When asked whether having 6 high-powered chargepoints at each motorway service area would change their likelihood of buying a plug-in vehicle, the majority (61%) said that it would not.
Long-distance journeys
Long-distance journeys were defined in the survey as journeys of 75 miles or more.
Almost nine in ten people who own or have continuous use of a car report making journeys of 75 miles or more at least once a year. Of those who make long trips, 37% tend to stop at Motorway Service Areas (MSAs) always or often, with the majority (63%) stopping at them less often or never. Most MSA visits are for 30 minutes or less.
Those who make long distance journeys once a week or more are less likely to say they stop at MSAs always or often, when compared with those who make such journeys less frequently.
Chart 4: Frequency of stopping at motorway service areas, by frequency of making long-distance journeys
Around three quarters of those who make long-distance journeys typically start long journeys with a full tank or battery, and will refuel before setting off. Most respondents (80%) will plan their route but only 18% will check for motorway service areas en route.
Among those who make long-distance journeys, 70% say they are likely or very likely to avoid refuelling or recharging at MSAs and find local petrol or service stations instead.
When all respondents were asked how confident they would feel, on a scale of 1 to 7, in undertaking a long-distance journey in a battery electric vehicle compared to petrol or diesel, the majority (52%) fell around the middle of the scale (scoring 3 to 5). 9% reported they would be extremely confident and 16% would not be confident at all.
Chart 5: Confidence in making a long-distance journey in a battery electric vehicle
When asked how long they would be prepared to stop at an MSA to recharge a plug-in vehicle, 57% said 30 minutes or less, with a further 38% prepared to stop from 30 minutes to an hour or longer, and 2% willing to stop as long as it takes. This implies that people maybe prepared to stop longer than they currently do; 81% of those who make long-distance journeys say they typically stop at an MSA for 30 minutes or less.
Chart 6: How long would you be prepared to stop at a motorway service area to recharge a plug-in vehicle?
| Time | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 15 min | 17% |
| 16 to 30 min | 40% |
| 31 to 45 min | 24% |
| 46 to 60 min | 8% |
| 60 min or more | 6% |
| However long it takes to get the charge I need | 2% |
| Don’t know | 3% |
Attitudes towards electric vehicles
4 out of 5 people (80%) believe that battery electric vehicles are too expensive to buy, but almost half believe that they are cheaper to run than petrol or diesel vehicles.
A majority (72%) believe that electric vehicles are ‘greener’ than petrol or diesel equivalents, whilst 10% disagree with this.
When asked about their perceptions of the driving range of new battery electric vehicles, 50% estimate that a fully charged vehicle could travel 200 miles or more. However, when asked if electric vehicles have sufficient range, the majority (60%) believe that they do not.
When asked about public chargepoints, 12% agree that there are enough of these to meet demand, and 59% disagree.
Those with a car or van in their household were asked to imagine that an electric vehicle was their only mode of transport, and indicate on a scale of 1 to 7 their level of concern about a number of aspects of electric vehicle characteristics and charging infrastructure. The highest levels of concern (where respondents selected 7 – extremely concerned) were around the availability of chargepoints at the end of long journeys, and the cost and time taken to charge at motorway service areas. Driving range and the reliability of chargepoints at MSAs ranked lowest in terms of overall concern, but still more than 1 in 5 were extremely concerned about these.
Chart 7: Concern about aspects of driving electric vehicles and their infrastructure
Views on Government policies
When asked if they support the UK government’s action to increase the proportion of electric vehicles sold by manufacturers, 55% support or strongly support this, and 12% oppose or oppose strongly. Knowledge of a specific policy was fairly limited, with 53% knowing nothing about, or never having heard of, the UK government’s intended Zero Emission Vehicle mandate policy.
When asked about what government should prioritise to encourage electric vehicle uptake, there was a mix of opinions, with the most popular options being funding the installation of residential on-street chargepoints (48%) and of ultra-rapid chargepoints at motorway service areas (46%). Improving the reliability of public chargepoints was also a popular option, selected by 44%. 1 in 10 (9%) thought that none of the offered options should be prioritised.
Chart 8: Percentage of people believing that actions to encourage electric vehicle uptake should be prioritised by government
| Policy | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Funding installation of residential on-street chargepoints | 48% |
| Funding installation of ultra-rapid chargepoints at motorway service areas | 46% |
| Improving reliability of public chargepoints | 44% |
| Availability of contactless payment at public chargepoints | 33% |
| Offering chargepoint grants to employers | 27% |
| Offering chargepoint grants to renting or flat tenants | 21% |
| Offering chargepoint grants to landlords | 17% |
| Offering chargepoint grants to small holiday accommodation businesses | 14% |
| None of these | 9% |
| Don’t know | 1% |
Cost of living
When those who already have a car or van were asked whether energy or fuel price increases as of August or September 2022 had impacted on the timing of their next vehicle purchase, 61% said it had had no impact, but 33% said it had pushed back their purchase.
When asked whether they had made any changes in car journeys or vehicle ownership due to the fuel or energy price increases, 24% said they hadn’t made any changes. The most common changes selected were cutting back on non-essential journeys (63%) and replacing some car journeys with walking or cycling (35%) or public transport (19%).
Chart 9: Percentage of people who have taken the following actions in response to fuel or energy price increases
| Action | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Cut back on non-essential journeys | 63% |
| Replaced some car journeys with walking or cycling | 35% |
| No changes | 24% |
| Replaced some car journeys with public transport | 19% |
| Given more lifts to friends or family or colleagues | 16% |
| Received more lifts from friends or family or colleagues | 10% |
| Other | 4% |
| Sold vehicle | 3% |
Methodology
The National Travel Attitudes Study collects data on the attitudes of individuals aged 16 and over across England. Individuals who have completed the National Travel Survey and have consented to taking part in the NTAS panel, are contacted with an offer of completing a wave of NTAS questions. The NTAS is a random probability sample with respondents drawn from the NTS, and responses are weighted to take account of the mode of delivery, and to reflect the population. Initial contact is via letter and email, and by SMS text message (where the information is available). If no response is received within 2 weeks, this is pursued via a telephone call.
National Travel Survey
The National Travel Survey is a household survey designed to monitor long-term trends in personal travel and to inform the development of policy. It is the primary source of data on personal travel patterns by residents of England within Great Britain. It began in 1965 as the first national travel survey in the world and has been running continuously since 1988.
The survey collects information on how, why, when and where people travel as well as factors affecting travel (for example, car availability and driving licence holding). Respondents are drawn by a probability sample based on post codes across England. The NTAS uses NTS respondents who have consented to completing further surveys. This allows a link to be drawn between a respondent’s travel behaviour and their travel attitudes, as long as the sample size is sufficient for the comparison to be drawn. More information on the NTS can be found on the National Travel Survey page.
Strengths and weaknesses of the data
The respondents to the NTAS are drawn from those who completed the National Travel Survey. This allows us to directly compare attitudes towards travel and transport revealed by the NTAS, to the travel behaviour identified during the NTS. This also reduces the number of demographic questions that need to be asked, resulting in a shorter survey than if it were asked of a random selection of the public. The NTAS data relates only to respondents aged 16 and over in England.
Sample size
Wave 7 of the NTAS survey was offered to individuals who had completed the NTS in 2021 and agreed to be contacted for further studies. In total, 2,171 individuals completed the Wave 7 questionnaire.
Method of delivery
Individuals who choose to partake in the NTAS survey are directed to an online form. If the survey is not completed online within 2 weeks, a follow-up call is initiated and the interview can be conducted by telephone. The NTAS offers an incentive in the form of a voucher for individuals who complete the survey.
Users and uses of the data
These statistics are used both inside and outside government to aid decision-making, including:
-
to provide general background to sector trends, and to inform the development and evaluation of policy, and to inform decision making
-
in the development or testing of transport and environmental models and forecasts
-
in market analysis by transport consultants and businesses
-
to respond to requests for information from Parliament, members of the public and international organisations
We welcome any feedback on these statistics to National Travel Survey
Background notes
Official Statistics are produced to the high professional standards set by the Code of Practice for Statistics. However, these statistics have not yet been assessed by the Office for Statistics Regulation.
The web tables and charts give further detail of the key results presented in this statistical release. They are available at the statistics on public attitudes towards transport page.
A technical report which outlines the technical information related to the survey in more detail, including the sample design, fieldwork, and information on the weighting approach, was released for Wave 1.
To hear more about DfT statistics publications as they are released, please follow us on Twitter via DfTstats.
Annex A: Chart data tables
Table 1 - Fuel type or power of main vehicle (Chart 1)
| Fuel or power type | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Petrol | 56% |
| Diesel | 35% |
| Hybrid (non-plug in) | 4% |
| Battery electric | 2% |
| Plug-in hybrid electric | 1% |
| Other | 0% |
Table 2: Frequency of stopping at motorway service areas, by frequency of making long-distance journeys (Chart 4)
| Frequency of long-distance journeys | Always | Often | Sometimes | Rarely | Never |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Once a week or more | 8% | 19% | 33% | 35% | 5% |
| 1 to 2 times a month | 12% | 24% | 31% | 25% | 9% |
| 3 to 4 times a year | 23% | 17% | 34% | 20% | 6% |
| 1 to 2 times a year | 25% | 11% | 23% | 23% | 18% |
Table 3: Confidence in making a long-distance journey in a battery electric vehicle (Chart 5)
| Level of confidence | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1 - not confident at all | 16% |
| 2 | 11% |
| 3 | 16% |
| 4 | 15% |
| 5 | 20% |
| 6 | 11% |
| 7 - extremely confident | 9% |
| Don’t know | 2% |
Table 4: Concern about aspects of driving electric vehicles and their infrastructure (Chart 7)
| Aspect | 7 extremely concerned | 6 | 5 | 1 not concerned at all - 4 | Don’t know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargepoint availability at end of long-distance journeys | 34% | 20% | 16% | 26% | 4% |
| Recharging costs at motorway service areas | 27% | 16% | 15% | 34% | 7% |
| Time needed to recharge at motorway service areas | 25% | 18% | 17% | 36% | 4% |
| Reliability of chargepoints at motorway service areas | 23% | 17% | 17% | 39% | 4% |
| Current driving range of electric vehicles | 22% | 13% | 22% | 41% | 2% |
| Availability of ultra-rapid chargepoints at motorway service areas | 22% | 16% | 20% | 39% | 4% |
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