Interest in electric cars has jumped amid rising fuel prices since the Middle East conflict began, according to Autotrader.

Autotrader, an online marketplace for buying and selling cars, has reported a sharp increase in enquiries for both new and used electric vehicles (EVs) since the Iran war began at the end of February.

A significant share of the world’s oil comes from the Middle East. Missile strikes and drone attacks have meant traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime shipping route for global oil supplies, is effectively at a standstill. This is driving up fuel prices worldwide.

While not quite at the extremes of 2022 yet, the instability of what might be in store and further fuel price rises is driving people to consider EVs.

Autotrader saw a 28% jump in EV enquiries this month compared to February, while used (0-5yr) EV enquiries were up 15%. According to its data, used EVs are now taking 19.5% of all 0-5yr used car enquiries – the highest share on record, with new daily records being set. For context, EVs make up around 5% of all cars on the road.

Ian Plummer, chief customer officer at Autotrader, said: “This isn’t just about price, it’s about confidence. When people feel that traditional fuel is vulnerable to global events, the appeal of electric becomes far stronger so the conflict is acting as a significant catalyst for EV interest across the UK market.

“That said, previous peaks in interest like in 2022 haven’t led to sustained increases in electric purchases, so there is still work to do to ensure consumers are confident that electric cars can fit their lifestyles.”

UK motoring organisation RAC monitors wholesale prices and pump prices daily via its RAC Fuel Watch site. In terms of how the Iran conflict is translating to costs at the pumps, Simon Williams, RAC head of policy, has issued the following statement: “The average price of diesel has jumped by nearly 3p a litre since yesterday/Monday to 173.83p. This means it has now gone up 31.5p since 28 February, a 22% increase. Petrol also shot up by 1.4p to 148.55p a litre, its biggest daily increase since 3 March. Petrol has now risen 15.7p a litre, or 11.8%.

“Diesel looks likely to break the 180p-a-litre mark in the next week or so, and if it goes on to reach 182p the price of a tank for a family car would breach £100. If petrol climbs to 150p, as seems inevitable, it will take the cost of a fill-up to £82.50.”