"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but that's pretty demonstrably false. It's a good reminder that consumer sentiment often lags the reality on the ground. Americans don't have a damned clue who makes good EVs. That's what I took away from the January, 2026 edition of the Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report, which measures consumer sentiment toward EV brands. Surveyed consumer sentiment toward EV brands seems to be based on vibes and internal-combustion car experience, not anything resembling reality."
"For those not up-to-date on the EV market, Toyota and Honda are widely perceived as being laggards in the EV market. Both companies were pioneers of hybrid technology, but conservative company cultures have made them hesitant to go all-in on EVs. Toyota's only long-range EV, the bZ4X, arrived to critical scorn and lacked many must-have EV features. The company has improved things dramatically for 2026 and has new models on the way."
U.S. consumers rate Toyota and Honda highly as EV makers despite both companies lagging in long-range, in-house EV development. Survey responses appear driven by vibes and internal-combustion car experience rather than current EV product capability. Honda has sold only GM-built EVs in the U.S., including reskinned Chevrolet models, and Toyota's bZ4X faced criticism despite 2026 improvements and upcoming models. Tesla ranks poorly in these sentiment surveys despite its market role. Conservative corporate cultures and hybrid legacies have slowed Toyota and Honda's EV rollouts, causing a mismatch between perception and actual EV leadership.
Read at insideevs.com
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