Owners of those faulty electric cars then went an average of just over five days without the use of their car while it was being fixed – compared to just three days for petrol cars.

”There is potential for manufacturers to improve as there are fewer moving parts in EVs than in other fuel types. The most common faults raised by EV drivers in the survey were software problems, not motor or battery pack issues”, say the authors of the survey.

There are also reliable, partly-electric cars available on the market today. Which?’s sthey also found out that the most reliable cars of any fuel type are full hybrids, with just one in six (17%) owners reporting a fault among cars aged up to four years old.

Full hybrids are the most common type of hybrid. They recharge from the main combustion engine, you cannot charge them from a socket like a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).

“With EVs in particular, our research shows a premium price tag does not necessarily mean a reliable vehicle, so we would always encourage drivers to do their research ahead of such a significant purchase to see which cars and brands they can trust”, said Lisa Barber, Which? Home Products and Services Editor.

More than 48,000 people told Which? about the nearly 57,000 cars they own and drive. This number included 2,184 electric vehicles.

According to Sky News, electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, especially since the government announced that the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans will be banned in the UK from 2030.