Half of Swedes do not think that the range of electric cars is sufficient

If the next car is to be an electric car, the range must be at least 50 miles - about half of Swedes think so. A requirement that only a few models in the premium segment can meet today.

Almost one in two (49%) state in a Sifo survey commissioned by us that they need at least 50 miles from a fully charged battery to consider the purchase of an electric car – otherwise they are disqualified.

- For the vast majority, I would say that a range of less than 50 miles is more than enough to fulfill everyday needs, but since there are still no charging stations in large parts of the country and the majority cannot yet charge their electric car at home, it is not surprising that it is seen as a dealbreaker, says Daniel Odsberg, sales manager Kvdbil.

On the leaderboard, only two excel

Of the ten most common electric cars in Sweden, only the Volkswagen ID.4 and Tesla Model S can boast a range of 50 miles or more. But long range usually also means a higher price tag. Of the two, the ID.4 is the cheapest with a price of around half a million. For a Model S you have to pay over a million.

The fact that electric cars with a long range cost so much is an obstacle to the transition, according to Daniel Odsberg.

- The range of electric cars is constantly being expanded with lower prices and improved range. But car models with a range of over 50 miles are rare and still expensive. If we are to make it through the transition, the range anxiety needs to be cured, both through expanded charging infrastructure and a wider model range, says Daniel Odsberg, sales manager.

Through Kantar Sifo, we asked 1,054 people aged 18-79 the question:

What is the minimum/shortest range you think is acceptable for an electric car?

100 km, 1%
200 km, 6%
300 km, 12%
400 km, 15%
500 km, 24%
600 km, 10%
700 km, 6%
800 km, 3%
900 km, 1%
1000 km or longer, 5%
Don't know, 16%
500 km or more (summation), 49%

The 10 most common electric cars – that's the range

Range and price have been obtained from the respective manufacturers and refer to the basic models, unless otherwise stated. Range is specified according to the WLTP standard.

*Price excluding any climate bonus.

About the survey
The survey was conducted in Kantar Sifo's web panel during the period 27-30 August 2021. A total of 1054 people aged 18-79 were interviewed. The web panel is nationally representative recruited based on random selection. There is no self-recruitment in Sifo's web panel.