Does the handling of electric cars improve safety?

'Batteries are usually at the bottom of the car, which means that the largest, heaviest component is placed low down, dropping the centre of gravity as low as possible, and distributing weight between the axles,' says Chris.

'As such, the driving experience is often more enjoyable and safer,' he says. 'With less weight high up the car or beyond the axles, there is less potential for handling problems.'

Are silent cars more dangerous?

'Stop, look and listen' has long been the advice for children who want to cross the road – but what if the car is too quiet to hear? 

The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), which was commissioned by the Department for Transport to find out if electric cars were too quiet, discovered that, 'relative to the number of registered vehicles', electric and hybrid cars and vans 'were 30 per cent less likely to be involved in an accident' than their petrol or diesel alternatives.

However, they are more likely to be involved in accidents involving pedestrians. Research conducted by charity Guide Dogs (@guidedogs), found that 'quiet hybrid and electric vehicles are 40 per cent more likely to collide with pedestrians than cars with a regular combustion engine'.

Thankfully, as the TRL report points out, 'manufacturers are taking steps to independently (ie without legislation) increase the audibility of such vehicles which may reduce the potential risk if noise is a significant contributory factor'.

'Many electric car manufacturers have installed a noise-making device that operates when the car is running at slow speeds,' says Chris. 'This lets pedestrians know that a car is around. More sophisticated technology, such as sensors targeting sound waves to specific pedestrians, is being developed.'

So, how safe are electric cars? As with any emerging transport technology, there could be some new risks associated with the increase in electric vehicles – but this doesn't mean that they're any safer or more dangerous than petrol and diesel vehicles. With electric vehicles due to take over our roads in the near future, more research is needed into making sure that they are as safe as possible.