Nissan Leaf and VW eGolf are most searched for used EVs

The Nissan Leaf and VW eGolf are the most popular choices among buyers searching for a used electric vehicle (EV).

Between them, the two models accounted for almost half of all EV searched for on BuyaCar.co.uk in June.

BuyaCar analysed almost 25,000 searches, carried out last month, for EVs on sale and found differences in interest between what appear to be 'curiosity searches’ and serious interest in available cars.

The difference between buyers who are still merely EV-curious and those who are genuinely motivated to make the switch is highlighted by the difference between searches for electric offerings from specific car brands in general and those targeting a particular model.

For example, brand-only searches - such as ‘Mercedes electric’ - reflect the typical popularity of German cars in particular, with Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW taking the top three places in BuyaCar’s study.

When motorists have a specific car in mind, the manufacturer field is suddenly dominated by far eastern and French brands such as Hyundai, Nissan, Renault.

Christofer Lloyd, editor of BuyaCar.co.uk, said: "One of the most interesting battles is over the top position in searches for a specific model on BuyaCar between the Nissan Leaf, which has had 10 years to secure its name in Britain, and Volkswagen's e-Golf, which now comes a close second.

"Between them, the Leaf and the e-Golf now feature in 44.8% of model-specific searches among the top 10 most searched for used electric vehicles.

"It is also significant that we see different results when we take the time spent looking at a vehicle into account. This reveals that there is sufficient interest in electric vans for the Renault Kangoo to feature high in our measure of interest in specific EV models.”

In June, car buyers spent more time visiting a rare listing for the MG ZS EV than any other electric car on BuyaCar.co.uk, even though many more users searched for a Nissan Leaf.

Top 10 electric vehicle searches on BuyaCar.co.uk, in June, measured by number of visits: