In a year when petrol and diesel hit record prices, the number of people searching for electric vehicles (EVs) rose by 113% from 2021.

That’s according to research by Cinch, which claims that there was also a heavy increase in people searching for EV specific brands.

Tesla saw an 82% rise in searches, whilst Polestar rose by 96% from last year.

Across the year, the number of people interested in the electric revolution was steadily growing – until the last few months.

The data reveals that from October, the average searches for EVs dropped by 35% compared with January to September – as energy prices rose and fears grew around the cost of charging.

Despite the drop off, the overall engagement with EVs from car buyers was the highest yet.

“We know the make and model of a car are often the most important criteria for buyers but it’s been interesting to see the trend in searches for larger motors [and] electric vehicles during 2022,” said Sam Sheehan from Cinch.