Once someone buys an electric car, they tend to stick with it, according to a new study by the Global EV Alliance, which represents EV drivers' associations in 38 countries.
Research has found that 92% of current owners plan to buy another EV as their next car. 1% said they would choose a petrol or diesel car if they had to switch to an EV tomorrow, while 4% said they would take a plug-in hybrid instead of their EV.
PHEVs include a gasoline engine, but after having a fully electric model drivers may be inclined to see it as a backup source.
2024 Tesla Model Y. – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
The survey is based on 23,000 responses from 18 countries collected between Aug. 27 and Nov. For example, the US results are weighted down, and Sweden is down, to reflect the relative size of each country's share of the EV fleet, the Global EV Alliance explained in a press release.
Low operating costs was the main reason for owners' loyalty to EVs, with 45% of respondents listing this as their main reason for wanting to buy another EV. Other important factors include the low climate impact of EVs (40%), and that EVs are “good for the local environment and make less noise” (32%).
2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Redline Edition
Those results seem to encourage EV adoption, but surveys like this one are still open to interpretation, including reporting questions when asking consumers whether they plan to buy after their first EV—again. that it really replaces the EV or another car at home.
A 2023 study from S&P Global Mobility found that, Tesla aside, nearly half of EV-owning households are still buying an internal combustion vehicle in the future, for a reason. lack of suitable EV options from non-Tesla products. And the Department of Energy earlier this year noted that US EVs are driven fewer miles than internal combustion vehicles, meaning it may not always work as a substitute for the same.