It appears more New Zealanders are thinking about buying an electric car.

TradeMe surveyed 1300 people and found 74 per cent of New Zealanders were now considering buying an electric vehicle.

That figure is up from 50 per cent from the year before.

However, Trade Me’s head of motors Alan Clark told Heather du Plessis-Allan that they made people to choose what they would be most likely to buy.

"27 per cent said they would be most likely to purchase an EV." 

Clark says that one of the things that affected people's choices is the upfront cost, as well as the battery life and how far they would be able to go before charging.

He thinks that the Government's Clean Car Budget could have an effect if it made cars cheaper.

The survey shows tides are changing, though Clark notes that diesel and petrol vehicles vastly outnumber electric vehicles at the moment. 

"At last look, there's maybe a nudge over 1,000 electric vehicles," he says, compared to around 90,000 total cars listed on the site.