The December poll commissioned by Glass's guide aimed to discover motorists' views of the Government's £43 million Electric Vehicle Plug-in Car Grant. It first asked respondents whether or not they would consider buying an electric or hybrid vehicle prior to notifying them about the Government incentive, to which 36% said they would. This figure rose to 53% as a direct result of being told about the scheme. When asked if they would consider buying an electric or hybrid vehicle as their next car in July last year, just 0.5% of respondents said they would buy an electric vehicle and 8% said they would buy a hybrid.

"This is a phenomenal increase in a very short space of time and represents a fast-growing acceptance of the emergence of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles into the mass market", said Andy Carroll, the managing director at Glass's. "It is also clear that the Government's Plug-in Car Grant is making an impact on figures and could be the deciding factor for people already considering buying a plug-in hybrid or battery electric car, as well as appealing to those who would not previously have considered it."