A climate survey by the European Investment Bank (EIB) has indicated that 73% of Croatians say they would opt for a hybrid or electric vehicle next time they purchase a vehicle, whereas 27% say they would choose a petrol/diesel car.

The EIB Climate Survey 2021-2022 shows that older citizens prefer an electric vehicle whereas younger citizens prefer a petrol or diesel car.

The survey explores people’s views on climate change in a rapidly changing world and focuses on citizens’ individual behaviour and the actions they are taking to combat climate change.

According to the survey, the majority of Croatians (73%) would buy either a hybrid or electric vehicle when next buying a car, with the share of those preferring an electric vehicle (37%) being almost the same as the share of those who prefer a hybrid vehicle (36%).

The survey also shows that as citizens’ age increases so does their preference for an electric or hybrid vehicle, with 52% of those older than 65 preferring electric or hybrid cars compared with 34% of those aged between 30 and 64, and 30% of those younger than 30.

Younger Croatians are more likely to purchase a petrol or diesel car (41%).

A hybrid vehicle would be the first choice for 40% of Croatians aged between 30 to 64, which is 10 percentage points higher than for citizens aged over 65 (30%) and 11 percentage points more than for those younger than 30 (29%).

At the same time, only 11% said they don’t own a vehicle and do not intend to buy one. This is 2 percentage points lower than the EU average.

Regarding their preference for hybrid or electric vehicles, Croats rank close to Hungarians (72%), Slovenians (71%) and are more likely to do so than Austrians (51%) and Czechs (48%), EIB reported on its website.

Croats aren’t that much in favour of petrol or diesel cars, with only 27% saying that would be their next car. That is 22 percentage points less than the share of Austrians planning to buy such a car (49%) and 25 percentage below the share of Czechs (52%). Once again, similarly to Croatians, 28% of Hungarians would opt for a petrol or diesel car, as would 29% of Slovenians.

Most Europeans favour hybrid vehicles

Generally, when thinking about their next car, most Europeans (39%) would opt for a hybrid car, followed by petrol and diesel vehicles (33%) and electric cars (28%).

EIB notes that 86% of Croatians feel they are doing all they can to fight climate change in their daily lives, but the majority believe that their compatriots are not doing the same.

Furthermore, 62% say they consider climate change when choosing a holiday destination, 43% young Croatians consider climate change when looking for a job while 40% of young Croatians say they already buy second-hand clothes instead of new ones.