This is the latest report in a series of weekly updates for industry colleagues from Rachael Prasher, managing director of What Car? and Haymarket Automotive. Quoted poll data is from more than 25,000 whatcar.com users collated since August 2021.New car buyers ordering a factory-order model have been more likely to consider an electric vehicle as their next car than one with petrol or diesel power since October 2021, according to our latest in-market buyer research. Analysis of new car buyer feedback from August 2021 onwards found that October last year stood as an inflection point for new factory-order buyers, with a larger proportion looking to buy electric than petrol or diesel since that date. The news comes just a week after the fully electric Kia EV6 was named our 2022 Car of the Year and confirms the growing momentum behind electric vehicles, stemming both from consumer intent and manufacturers introducing better and more appealing models on an almost monthly basis. What Car?’s weekly in-market research asks potential buyers which powertrain they are likely to purchase. While used buyers strongly prefer petrol and diesel models, new car buyers opting for a factory-order model have been found shifting towards electric vehicles. Since August 2021, What Car? has surveyed 25,022 respondents, with an average weekly response rate of 1390 in-market buyers.Although each week sees small variations in buyer preferences, the fact that electric vehicle interest has surpassed petrol and diesel vehicle interest for longer than three consecutive months is a very encouraging sign for the sector. Last year, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed that electric vehicle registrations grew by 76.3% and represented 11.6% of the UK new car market for 2021.In December 2021, we also surveyed 1057 in-market buyers to understand whether their attitudes to electric vehicles had changed over the year. Of all buyers surveyed, 41% said their attitudes to owning an electric vehicle had changed, with 85% stating for the positive.This intention data reflects forecasting that suggests that electric vehicle sales could eclipse those of diesels this year and close the gap to petrol-powered alternatives.[/logged_in]