Almost three-quarters of drivers would switch to an electric vehicle (EV) if five-minute charging technology delivering 250 miles of range became widely available, according to Startline Motor Finance’s latest Used Car Tracker.

In the May edition of the monthly survey, 72% of respondents said that ultra-fast charging – recently demonstrated by Chinese carmaker BYD – would persuade them to go electric.

More than a third (36%) said it was comparable to refuelling with petrol, while 34% noted that it would eliminate the need for a home charger.

Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “The promise of an electric car that can be powered with the convenience of a petrol equivalent clearly strikes a chord with many potential buyers, our research shows.

“Being able to pull up to a charger and add 250 miles of range in moments would remove the need for a home charger, especially important for people who don’t have the space to install their own, and promises to make the whole process of highway charging much simpler.”

However, 15% of drivers believed that such fast charging will be costly to use, while 12% questioned whether the infrastructure can be delivered at scale.

Burgess added: “We have, of course, yet to see BYD’s charging in action and it is comparatively rare to see chargers rated at over 300kW in the UK, never mind the 1,000kW that five-minute charging demands.

“Our most powerful public chargers offer less than half that capacity.

“Delivering this step change would require a massive investment in infrastructure and motorists are probably correct in assuming that this kind of power would be expensive to install and to access.”

The Startline Used Car Tracker is compiled monthly for Startline Motor Finance by APD Global Research and gathers attitudinal data from 308 consumers and 66 dealers.

The study tracks buying intent, fuel choices and wider sentiment in the used car market.