CONFESSIONS OF A WOMEN WHO ISN’T THAT INTO CARS

Author: Bex, Co-Founder at She’s Electric

I’ve spent years around cars. I worked at Aston Martin, grew up with a petrol-head father, and have somehow ended up test driving more EVs than most people who would describe themselves as “car people”.

The thing is, I’m not really a car person.

And I think that’s exactly why the automotive industry needs to pay more attention to people like me.

Because for millions of women, cars are a necessity rather than a passion. We don’t spend evenings comparing torque figures or dreaming about our next vehicle. We just want something safe, practical, reliable, and easy to live with.

Yet much of the EV conversation still feels designed for enthusiasts rather than everyday drivers.

After countless test drives and marketing campaigns, I’ve started to wonder whether the industry is sometimes making the transition feel more complicated than it needs to be…

THE GO-KART PROBLEM

Why is it that every time I get into an electric car, a product specialist says, “There’s nothing to it! It’s like driving a go-kart!” Is this something they learn in training? Or do I look like a 45-year-old woman with a secret go-kart hobby? When was the last time I even drove a go-kart? Have I ever driven a go-kart??

My other favourite is, “It’s like driving a spaceship!” I’ve also never driven a spaceship, and even after

driving a Tesla, I’m fairly sure I still couldn’t apply for NASA. Also, I don’t want to drive a spaceship. Parking one at Tesco sounds like a monumental ballache.

WHEN MARKETING MISSES THE MARK

I sometimes wonder whether my stint at Aston Martin was an elaborate father-daughter bonding exercise - I know my obsession with Aston Villa was. I was probably the only girl at St Mary’s Convent School using “show and tell” to walk classmates through the history of Aston Villa from 1874 to the present day.

My love of Villa stayed. My love of selling expensive cars to rich people… less so.

I’d listen to designers talk about the golden ratio and how their work was inspired by Da Vinci - and I’d just want to go and look at The Virgin of the Rocks.

As everyone knows, the automotive industry has got a shady past when it comes to engaging women. Even years after leaving Aston Martin, I still get sent that fake advert where it compares a (scantily clad) woman to a second hand car and implies something about previous owners. The steady stream of complaint letters said a lot - because it was entirely plausible that someone in the car industry had created and shared it.

Once, a colleague proudly showed me an ad: “We’ve made one with a woman driving a car!” She was in six-inch stilettos and a pencil skirt. Have you ever tried getting into a V12 Vantage like that? 

THE EMPEROR’S NEW EV

I’m not entirely uneducated in cars. I’ve skidded across bowser-soaked tarmac, done the high-speed bowl at Millbrook, and got an Aston or two up to 150mph. I also have an unfortunate habit of going too fast. My seven-year-old now tells people I’ve been to prison, because that’s what happens when the police catch you speeding. He also asked if I had to hand in my clothes and get them back in a paper bag. (Note to self: review his TV intake.)

But in everyday life, I’m very vanilla about my whip.

Back when I was married we realised we needed a second car or the move to the country was going to feel more exile than escape. My husband started the spreadsheet. He read the autotrader. He pored over the reviews. Then he went away for work, and I went to a local Kia dealership and bought one because a mate said they were good.

Since then, I’ve had three cars. Same make, same model, same colour. I tell myself women are more loyal buyers - and honestly, I just need life to be easy.

I’ve test driven a few EVs recently, and sometimes I feel like I’m meant to be experiencing some grand revelation. Instead I think: nice, it’s smooth, quite quick, got me from A to B, I didn’t hit anything.

Then I step out to expectant faces and say, “Wow, it’s a game changer!” while internally thinking, “It’s…a car.”

Maybe the honest campaign is just: “Yeah, it’s not that different.” I think that would work on me. 

WHAT WOMEN WANT

Would it help to tone down the whizzy and the shiny?

The early adopters needed to feel as though they were riding a wave of new tech - heck, it might be the closest they ever get to Space-X. But now EVs should just be positioned as the next logical step. If you’re not switching, there should be a real reason - not an excuse. No charging access, long Highland drives, or, I don’t know, shares in Shell…?

People talk about the “silence” of EVs like it’s a spiritual experience.

I’ve honestly never noticed engine noise - I can’t hear anything over Heart 80s and my questionable Elton John karaoke.

This ‘silence’ is a pretty niche benefit that feels like it’s been through several too many marketing brainstorms. When is someone going to have the guts to say ‘Clean air chaps! You might not believe the earth is getting hotter than the devil’s armpit but surely we can all agree that kids deserve to breathe?

MAKING SUSTAINABLE CHOICES FEEL ACHIEVABLE

It’s important people don’t feel like they’re being sold a dream. When EVs are paired with advice like “use charging time for journaling” (yes, I’ve heard this), I can practically hear the eye roll.

The message should be: we know it’s not perfect, but it’s better than you think, it’s improving fast, and real people are making it work - even in pencil skirts. Most of us aren't Vin Diesel. The nearest we get to a high-speed pursuit is realising the school gates close in three minutes.

And you deserve credit for even trying to do the right thing when life is already chaotic.

Maybe the automotive industry does need more people like me. Who just aren’t that into it. Representative of those for whom it’s a need, not a desire. And who can match those needs to the myriad of benefits that are on offer. 

It’s what we aim to do with She’s Electric - we’re like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, if Maslow wore a lot of Donna Ida. And each need is valid - safety, style, or simply outrunning the fuzz.

BE REAL

This applies to all eco tech, not just EVs. At She’s Electric, we believe women don’t need more jargon, hype, or pressure.

They need honest information, relatable experiences, and the confidence to make decisions that work for their lives.

For some, that starts with an EV or solar panels. For others, it’s a small change at home, a conversation, or simply hearing how someone else made it work.

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress.

And maybe the future of EVs and eco tech isn’t about convincing people they’re driving a spaceship, installing a heat pump, or reinventing their entire life overnight.

Maybe it’s just about helping more people feel confident enough to get started.