You've never bought a new car in your entire life, why would you start now regardless of the propulsion/fuel method? You are not the target market.
I'd never bought a brand new motorcycle in my life, until the day I did.
I'd also never bought a brand new PC component in my entire life... until the day I did.
What's your point? Am I not allowed to buy new things unless I've already bought new things, or something?
My lifestyle requires a car. I have one of the kind they'd like to see gone and they'd very much like me to continue paying them for the priviledge. I'm very much their target market.
No, because if the person paid cash it is still recorded as the cost of the car being the cost of the car. If you buy it on finance then the cost of the car is also the cost of the car, the finance house providing the money is the one who takes the interest if there is any, so that isn't recorded.
And yet the stats vary depending on source, even those that claim to be using the very same data, so again I question their validity, especially if you're going to assume the rather skewed and widely varying reported average prices somehow reflect what people commonly can and cannot afford.
The 'average' cost of a motor yacht is around £250 million, partly thanks to a small number of billionaires. The vast majority of people don't buy motor yachts up at that level, though, mostly favouring those below £10mil and most typically below £3mil.
I wouldn't buy a Fiesta, so doubt I am being fleeced, merely used the data for the average cost of a new Fiesta that was bought. Doubt many of them sold were entry level with zero options, but agree that I missed the cheapest one.
You still claimed that was the cheapest one, though. That's why I doubt your statistics.
Ask yourself this in 2013 the lowest cost Fiesta was £9,995, and now as you said it is £15,995, which is 60% more expensive in 7 years. Why has it gone up 60% if inflation would only take that £9,995 to £11,540. Oh, yeah cars are getting more expensive from new.
Cars are also getting more technology, which costs more. 2013 cars didn't have half the stuff 2020 cars do, and the current Fiesta range is not even a facelift but an entirely new generation.
Try comparing like for like and finding out what a car with the exact same spec and build standard as a 2013 Fiesta would cost in 2020. Even a quick look at the dash, with all those fancy screens will give you some idea as to why they cost more.
None of this changes the fact that the average cost of new cars sold in 2018 was ~£34k, way above what you can get a new EV for.
According to your one source, with which other sources using the same data disagree.
It also doesn't prove that those who think that's too much are in any way a
minority, or that it's in any way indicative of what's affordable to them. Rather, the introduction of a scrappage scheme and discount on a new purchase further
substantiates the idea that
quite a lot of people think it's too expensive!
If it were just about controlling behaviour, generating sales and maximising profits, the government would simply bump up the taxation on ICE vehicles, like they do with alcohol and tobacco. No need to discount anything.
Also I don't really give two hoots if you never buy an EV that is your choice, the more people keep spunking money up the wall into fuel duty and VED the better, as I'm not paying it (for now).
You know someone is an EV owner because, like vegans, they ******* tell you about it!
The main reason I never wanted an EV is because I don't want to end up a sanctimonious *****.... But I might do just that, purely so EV owners will sooner start getting screwed over by the government taxation.
It still costs some money somewhere to charge that vehicle up and you'd be a fool to think otherwise... or that things will continue to appear cheap/free for very long.
The deal might only be on new ones, but if a used one is 20k and a new one suddenly becomes 20k, who is going to buy used? Therefore used would have to drop otherwise they just won't sell. I see it as a good thing for used car buyers.
A new Zoe was something like £28k, I'm told (guy at work has one), so I doubt they'd be even £15k second hand.
They might lose a few sales, but not that many.