Here's What The Biggest EV Skeptics Want In An Electric Car

"Over a quarter of car shoppers say they are "very likely" to consider an EV, a number that's increased as gas prices have risen in the U.S. The most stubborn EV holdouts need tons of chargers and at least 500 miles of range. A funny thing is happening in the electric vehicle world right now. Tax credits are gone. Car companies are backtracking. New electric car sales are way, way down. Yet the number of American car shoppers who are interested in going electric is holding strong."

"Last month, 26% of car shoppers said they'd be very likely to consider buying an EV, up three percentage points from the previous month, a recent JD Power survey found. The portion who reported being very unlikely to go electric dropped by four percentage points to 18%. The firm has been surveying car shoppers about their appetite for electrification since 2021, and April marked only the third time ever that more than a quarter of respondents fell into the very likely camp, Gruber told me."

"One driving force may be obvious: A gallon of gas now costs more than $4.50, up from just under three bucks before the war with Iran. Gas prices have now remained high enough for long enough to shift attitudes towards EVs, Gruber said. Or maybe Americans are increasingly dubious that the conflict will end soon. But openness to EVs is one thing. Sales are another."

"So far this year, the battery-electric slice of the U.S. car market has hovered around 6-7%, down from roughly 8% in 2024 and 2025. You have to try and reconcile: Why are so many people interested in these products, but so few are actually buying the"

Over a quarter of U.S. car shoppers report being very likely to consider buying an electric vehicle, and that interest has increased as gas prices have risen. The share of shoppers very unlikely to go electric has fallen. Even after federal EV tax credits ended and new EV sales declined sharply, consideration stayed strong. Survey results show 26% of car shoppers very likely to consider an EV, up from the prior month, while 18% are very unlikely. Gas prices above $4.50 and uncertainty about how quickly conflicts will end may be shifting attitudes. However, battery-electric market share remains low at about 6–7%, creating a gap between interest and purchases.

Read at insideevs.com