More than a third of UK motorists don’t understand the latest information about different fuel types, a survey by Auto Trader has found.

40% of the 13,000 drivers interviewed said recent news coverage of car pollution had influenced their buying behaviour, with 25% saying they would seek out more information as a result. However, half of all drivers agreed that the different messages coming in made the buying process more challenging.

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Although 66% said pollution in general needed to be considered when buying a new car, only 7% were considering switching to electric or hybrid.

Upfront costs for an electric vehicle and the lack of charging infrastructure were equally cited as the main reason for not wanting or being able to abandon traditional fuels.

Interestingly, only 10% of those selling their diesel car through Auto Trader said they were getting rid of it out of pollution concerns. In fact, 47% intended to stick to diesel for the new car.

Nathan Coe, Auto Trader’s chief operating officer, said: “Manufacturers are already making great progress on the road to 2040, with some even suggesting they are ahead of the Government’s plans to reduce pure fossil fuel engine sales by 2040.

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“Yet the big challenge still seems to lie with increasing car buyer confidence in electric power. To address this, the industry and Government must work together to focus on creating an attractive electric future, rather than on the current rhetoric that only serves to stigmatise cars and create uncertainty for motorists and their wallets.”

Interviewed by Auto Trader, Ralf Speth, chief executive officer of Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Dates are set by UK Government for the banning of diesel and petrol vehicles by 2040, but with no detailed plans behind this bold statement.

“We as a company can deliver electric vehicles. [But] where is the network of charging points that they will require to function? Indeed, where is the power grid that will allow us to build them?”