Most Hungarian New Car Buyers Prefer Hybrid/Electric

When asked about future car purchases, 72% of Hungarian car buyers say they would choose either a hybrid or electric car. This figure is 44 points higher than the percentage of Hungarians who said they would buy a diesel or petrol vehicle (28%). More specifically, 37% would purchase a hybrid vehicle and 35% would opt for an electric vehicle, according to the 2021-2022 Climate Survey by the European Investment Bank. 

Hungarian car buyers aged 65 and older are particularly interested in purchasing an electric vehicle (54%), while young respondents are more likely to choose a petrol or diesel vehicle (38%). This figure is 30 points above the figure for car buyers older than 65 (only 8% of them say they would buy a petrol or diesel vehicle). Hybrid vehicles would be the top choice for Hungarians aged 30-64: 40% would opt for a hybrid car, 13 points above the figure for people younger than 30 (27%).

Meanwhile, 22% of the overall Hungarian population say they do not have a vehicle now and are not planning to buy one (nine points above the EU average).

With 72% of Hungarian car buyers saying they would opt for a hybrid or electric vehicle, Hungarians seem as inclined to switch to new car technologies as Croatians (73%) and Poles (73%), but more inclined to do so compared to Austrians (51%) and Czech respondents (48%).

More specifically, Hungarian car buyers seem most inclined to choose a hybrid car for their next vehicle, with 37% of them stating their next car will have this type of engine, similar to Croatians (36%). Hungarians seem more inclined to opt for a hybrid than Czech people (31%) and Austrians (28%) are. However, Hungarians appear to be less inclined to choose a hybrid compared to Poles (46%).  

Hungarian car buyers seem to be as inclined to purchase an electric car (35%) as Croatians (37%). Meanwhile, Eastern Europeans[1] on average (30%), Polish car buyers (27%), Austrians (23%) and notably Czechs (17%) appear to find electric cars less attractive.

In general, European car buyers tend to favour hybrid vehicles (39%), while petrol or diesel vehicles are ranked second (33%) and electric cars come third (28% state they would purchase an electric car). While Chinese car buyers are the most inclined to buy an electric car (44%), Americans would opt first for a hybrid vehicle (38%), followed by a petrol or diesel vehicle (33%), then an electric car (29%).