Motor1’s “From 100 to 5 per cent” began in St Peter’s Square
The test has begun. The 12 electric cars taking part in the “From 100 to 5 per cent” test organised by Motor1 started this morning in St. Peter’s Square, the heart of Rome and symbol of the 2025 Jubilee, and are driving on the largest public circuit in Europe: the Grande Raccordo Anulare, which was specially chosen because it is an urban motorway with extremely variable traffic and an average traffic volume of 180,000 vehicles per day.
This is where the battery-powered cars have to prove their consumption and efficiency. The results will be announced in February after the numerous data points have been carefully analysed.
The launch was also an opportunity for a discussion between representatives of the main automobile associations on the strategic issues of the transition to electromobility. The debate was introduced by the speech of Felipe Munoz, Senior Analyst at JATO Dynamics, who presented the European premiere of the Jato Dynamics study ‘The Right Price of the Electric Car’.
This year’s test includes 12 cars selected from the most interesting and affordable models on the market with list prices between €25,000 and €40,000 (approx. £21,000 and £34,000), in alphabetical order:
Hyundai Inster
Omoda 5 EV
Renault 5
Volvo EX30
Kia EV3
The JATO Dynamics study “The Fair Price of the Electric Car” shows that the growth of electric cars is slowing down worldwide. While there was a jump from 1.4 to 7.4 million units from 2019 to 2023, BEVs “only” increased by 1.2 million units in the following twelve months. In this market, 51 per cent of vehicles are built in China, 22 per cent in America and 18 per cent in Europe.
The report shows that the average price of electric cars worldwide has fallen sharply over the last five years, while the average list price of cars with combustion engines has risen. In the eurozone in particular, the average sales price of electric cars fell by 11 per cent between 2018 and 2024, while that of diesel or petrol vehicles rose by 7 per cent. A similar trend was observed in the USA, where prices for BEVs fell even more sharply (-26 per cent), while prices for “conventional” cars rose by seven per cent.
In Italy, where the share of new registrations remains at four per cent, well below the European average, the average selling price of electric cars has risen by 15 per cent in six years, due to the lack of products in the A and B segments. It is an increase that can also be explained by the greater availability of more expensive vehicles compared to 2018.
Looking at the data for the A and B segments, it is clear that the supply of conventionally powered models has shrunk (from 42 to 22 units in just six years), while the spread of electric cars is increasing, rising from eight available models in 2018 to 13 last year. And 2025 promises to be the year of the turnaround, when several models in the A and B segments with a list price of less than €30,000 (£25,000) will be launched on the European market, which are expected to usher in a turnaround.
According to the JATO study, electric cars are 25 per cent more expensive on the Italian market (34 per cent in 2023) than combustion vehicles. The progress made so far in the West in terms of supply and price reduction seems insignificant compared to what has happened in China in recent years. Today, the average selling price of an electric car bought in Italy is 118 per cent higher than that of a car bought in China. The same is true for the United Kingdom, where an electric car costs on average 122 per cent more than in the Chinese market, and for the United States, where the higher cost share reaches 109 per cent.
The average price of an electric car in Italy today is €64,844, just above the European average (€61,676) and that of the United States (€62,044), far behind China (€29,682).
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The director of Motor1 and InsideEVs and initiator of the initiative, Alessandro Lago, commented on the data as follows: “Diversity of supply is the lifeblood of the market: it stimulates interest, competition and product improvement. In 2025, the electric car could benefit from favourable conditions, but there is still a risk that prejudices fuelled by public debate will slow its spread.
Initiatives like this are crucial to provide clarity and offer people objective, critical and constructive information, which is essential for an informed dialogue and breaking down cultural barriers to this technology.”