Enthusiasm for electric vehicles wanes among US buyers, despite new choices

[Skye Jacobs]

Recap: Americans' enthusiasm for electric vehicles appears to be cooling, even as automakers offer more choices than ever before. Over the past four years, more than 75 new fully electric models have been introduced in the United States, giving consumers an unprecedented range of options. Yet recent research suggests that this expanded selection has not translated into increased interest among buyers.

A new study from AAA, conducted in March and based on interviews with more than 1,100 adults, found that just 16 percent of Americans say they are "very likely" or "likely" to choose an electric vehicle for their next car. This is the lowest level of interest recorded since before the pandemic. At the same time, the proportion of people who are "unlikely" or "very unlikely" to consider an EV has climbed to 63 percent, up from 51 percent four years ago.

The study points to several persistent concerns that are shaping consumer attitudes. High battery repair costs were cited by 62 percent of those not considering an EV, while 59 percent pointed to the higher purchase price compared to gasoline vehicles.

Many respondents also expressed doubts about the practicality of EVs for long-distance travel, with 57 percent saying they do not believe electric cars are suitable for long trips.

Charging infrastructure remains another sticking point; 56 percent of participants said the lack of convenient public charging stations is a major issue, and 55 percent worry about being stranded with a depleted battery. Additionally, more than a quarter of respondents reported challenges with installing home charging equipment.

"Since we began tracking interest in fully electric vehicles, we've seen some variability," said Greg Brannon, director of automotive engineering for AAA. "While the automotive industry is committed to long-term electrification and providing a diverse range of models, underlying consumer hesitation remains."

The survey also reveals a shift in expectations about the future of the EV market. In 2022, 40 percent of Americans believed that electric vehicles would surpass gasoline-powered cars within a decade. Today, that number has dropped to just 23 percent, reflecting a growing skepticism about the pace of change.

Financial factors continue to play a complex role in consumer decisions. While the high upfront cost of EVs is a deterrent for many, the appeal of lower fuel and maintenance expenses still resonates with some buyers. Last year, AAA found that EVs had the lowest fuel and maintenance costs of any vehicle type, though they also had the second-highest total ownership costs due to depreciation and financing.

Interest in government incentives has also waned. The share of likely EV buyers motivated by tax credits and rebates has fallen from 60 percent last year to 39 percent this year, and some respondents expressed concern that these incentives might be reduced or eliminated in the future.

Other research offers a slightly different perspective. J.D. Power's latest study, which focuses on people planning to buy or lease a new vehicle in the next year, found that 24 percent are "very likely" to consider an EV, and another 35 percent are "somewhat likely."

However, charging infrastructure remains a significant concern for more than half of these shoppers, and a substantial number still cite high purchase prices as a barrier.

Despite the growing number of electric models on the market, the data suggest that many Americans remain unconvinced that EVs are the right choice for them. As the industry continues to invest in electrification, it faces the challenge of addressing consumer doubts about cost, convenience, and practicality. For now, the road to widespread EV adoption appears to be a longer journey than once anticipated.

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Enthusiasm for electric vehicles wanes among US buyers, despite new choices

 

[Mjsun]

I am in the “strongly considering” camp but I really want the V2H/V2A infrastructure to mature a bit more. GM system seems solid but proprietary, and Tesla is remarkably absent, though their ubiquity would make proprietary a smaller issue.

 

[AnilD]

The industry might have overestimated how much model variety alone drives consumer change. It’s not about having more choices—it’s about making the whole experience feel low-risk and easy. Until charging is as convenient and intuitive as gas stations, hesitation makes sense.

 

[Jme Kerul]

The industry might have overestimated how much model variety alone drives consumer change. It’s not about having more choices—it’s about making the whole experience feel low-risk and easy. Until charging is as convenient and intuitive as gas stations, hesitation makes sense.

Charging as we stay now is a cacophony.
But this is always happening in early adoption stageS of any new tech, just remember how things were during late nineties early 2k in the PC industry.

Things will settle, now that Tesla's NACS won the plug type battle in US and CCS2 did the same in the rest of the world.
But the US populace will dive into EV when travelling from NY to LA in an EV won't require to plan too much in advance to avoid unavailable charging points.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

It should be highlighted that all the issues here don't exist with Tesla. They don't try to offer tons of models, they just focus on improving their existing entries as much as possible. Tesla has the best charging infrastructure, and every other automaker has begun relying on them in the US. They've also focused on cutting costs, which shows as they're the only automakers who sell EV's profitably (their entry models begin at $42-45k BEORE incentives). Sure there are cheaper EVs than the Model 3, but they are trash in comparison. And that's why Tesla has taken a majority of the American demand for EVs for years.

For those claiming that Tesla isn't selling well anymore, they're only talking about Cybertruck or a few months in Europe versus over a decade of sales. Tesla shut down production of Model Y's across the world, which had an outsized effect on Europe since their only factory there only produces Model Y's. And given that there were a lot of changes made to the Model Y, it seems much more likely that they're having production issues instead of demand issues. Here is a very convincing argument that this is the case--Model Y inventory in Europe has been at 1 year lows for the last 3 straight months: https://tesla-info.com/blog/inventory-stats-regional/Europe?q=4

 

[NumberNine]

Man they just can't get those chargers out there to the people can they? I wonder why?

I'm not the type of person who uses a private jet to keep appointments so you'll have to forgive my lack of guilt about burning a tank of petroleum once a month.

 

[NotYourITguy]

Range still isn't long enough and charging still isn't fast enough for it not to be an inconvenience. EVs are now more expensive for me to charge than to fill up a tank of gas, so all around EVs are more expensive for me even factoring in the gamble of assumed less maintenance requirements.

Why would I buy an EV right now other than the fact it's more fun to drive a $35k EV than a $35k Honda Civic?

 

[opckieran]

Large countries with tons of regularly used, long stretches of infrastructure like the US are necessarily going to have a harder time with EVs and charging infrastructure. This is why hybrids should have been pushed first, then plug-in hybrids, to both allow the customer a more sane transition period and to offer the manufacturer a great testing opportunity to allow battery technology to improve: making them lighter, cheaper, safer, longer lasting, higher range, etc.

If we instead had waited another decade or two, we would have been able to start with EVs having much better range and battery technologies, as opposed to having many obsolete EVs which will need to be recycled (if they even can be in some cases). We could have, in the meantime, encouraged the car manufacturers to sell EVs to the tiny EU countries with higher population densities and less infrastructure to account for. They could have worked out many of today’s EV kinks in those countries which are clearly more welcoming towards EVs to begin with!


TL;DR: We should have stuck with Hybrids in the US and let the EU be the guinea pigs for EVs.

 

[amghwk]

If you're having a petrol/diesel based vehicle, when the gas runs out, you can just get to the nearest gas station and fill up full tank in less than 5 mins. And continue driving immediately. Why, even if your car stopped halfway to the gas station, you can just go to the station with an empty can and bring back some gas to fill up.

If you have an EV, when you run out of juice, first, you need to find a station having electric charging section. And even when found one, you have to get stuck there for at least 20 to 30 mins, hoping your Duracell bunny can last a bit longer until you can charge it at another station or your home.

Plus, c'mon, it's a battery and batteries will degrade over time. And you need to charge more often and it will run out of juice faster and faster.

Not against EV tech, but we are still WAY behind and until battery tech, safety and charging solutions are perfected I don't feel they are the future yet. Nor do I feel convenient driving one.

 

[yRaz]

So im currently in the "plug in hybrid" camp and am waiting for Ford to release the plug in hybrid version of the new Bronco. That said, I actually really like electric cars and it has nothing to do with the environment.

1)gas is expensive
2)depending on where and when your at the gas station, filling up is a pain in the ***
3)being able to charge overnight is really appealing to me. People rarely use the full range of their EV in a day so "topping it off" at home is really appealing to me.

I do hate how every EV has to "look like the future". Just put an EV system in a regular car so that noone can tell its an EV. I feel like 90% of anti-EV sentiment comes from "the future" design that every manufacturer insists their EVs have. Like, no, don't "make an EV". What they need to do is make a normal car that *just happens* to be electric.

 

[p51d007]

EV's, in "Europe" aren't that bad. ALL of Europe land wise, can fit into a couple of states in America. Plus, they have a LOT of trains, bus and other things to get people around. My nephew a couple years ago drove to TN, from Arizona and he said it took almost 3 days to drive from El Paso, to Texarkana. In winter, colder states have even more issues with warming up the battery, using the heater etc which reduces the range even more. Our electrical grid can barely handle our usage now. Add a bunch EV's and it will collapse.
In America, hybrids would work, if you want one.
A few other things have cut down the popularity of EV's. The "tax credits" and pretty much anyone that really wanted an EV, has one.

 

[allanwind]

Meanwhile "EV sales volume was up 11.4% year-over-year, totaling 294,250 sales in the first quarter."[1]. "Tesla’s U.S. EV market share held steady at 43.4%, but sales are down 9% year-over-year." It will continue to drop till it either goes out of business or is acquired (Musk, salute, DOGE, drugs etc).

Consumer had been dropping for 4 straight months at the time due to tariff[2], which, as you know, is a tax on Americans. "unemployment [...] highest level in 3 months"[3]. Then there is incompetence (signal, DOGE gutted the government to cut costs with $9bn and "big beautiful bill" wants to add $2.4t to the deficit) & unprecedented corruption in the government ($trump & $melania meme coin, tariffs as market manipulation, us citizen deported etc). None of these are really conducive to taking on car payments for the next 5 years.

[1] https://caredge.com/guides/electric-vehicle-market-share-and-sales
[2] https://apnews.com/article/consumer...ding-tariffs-cd4860a3aff316d90080f96e4487c3c5
[3] https://apnews.com/article/unemploy...ayoffs-labor-a4b9beab0c8a16c374ed5492f02a61f6

 

[Kashim]

It should be highlighted that all the issues here don't exist with Tesla. They don't try to offer tons of models, they just focus on improving their existing entries as much as possible. Tesla has the best charging infrastructure, and every other automaker has begun relying on them in the US. They've also focused on cutting costs, which shows as they're the only automakers who sell EV's profitably (their entry models begin at $42-45k BEORE incentives). Sure there are cheaper EVs than the Model 3, but they are trash in comparison. And that's why Tesla has taken a majority of the American demand for EVs for years.

For those claiming that Tesla isn't selling well anymore, they're only talking about Cybertruck or a few months in Europe versus over a decade of sales. Tesla shut down production of Model Y's across the world, which had an outsized effect on Europe since their only factory there only produces Model Y's. And given that there were a lot of changes made to the Model Y, it seems much more likely that they're having production issues instead of demand issues. Here is a very convincing argument that this is the case--Model Y inventory in Europe has been at 1 year lows for the last 3 straight months: https://tesla-info.com/blog/inventory-stats-regional/Europe?q=4

Ah yes, everyone else is lying, but random internet guy is here to set the record straight; Tesla is doing great! The fact that everyone is reporting otherwise should be ignored. Every outlet that reported that Tesla sales are down across the board in every market, they were all lying, right? Wait no, they must have been talking about only that Cybertruck monstrosity or Model Y, right? Whose production Tesla shut down, not because nobody was buying it, but because... oh wait. Let's not even get into Tesla's horrific resale value.

 

[SRB]

Meanwhile "EV sales volume was up 11.4% year-over-year, totaling 294,250 sales in the first quarter."[1]. "Tesla’s U.S. EV market share held steady at 43.4%, but sales are down 9% year-over-year." It will continue to drop till it either goes out of business or is acquired (Musk, salute, DOGE, drugs etc).

Consumer had been dropping for 4 straight months at the time due to tariff[2], which, as you know, is a tax on Americans. "unemployment [...] highest level in 3 months"[3]. Then there is incompetence (signal, DOGE gutted the government to cut costs with $9bn and "big beautiful bill" wants to add $2.4t to the deficit) & unprecedented corruption in the government ($trump & $melania meme coin, tariffs as market manipulation, us citizen deported etc). None of these are really conducive to taking on car payments for the next 5 years.

[1] https://caredge.com/guides/electric-vehicle-market-share-and-sales
[2] https://apnews.com/article/consumer...ding-tariffs-cd4860a3aff316d90080f96e4487c3c5
[3] https://apnews.com/article/unemploy...ayoffs-labor-a4b9beab0c8a16c374ed5492f02a61f6

What does all of the above gibberish have to do with the survey and the article? If I wanted a U.S. bites rant, I'd go read a political site like CNN.

Needless to say, all of your "facts" have nothing to do with EV's not catching on. The first and biggest reason that EV's have not caught on is that for the most part, they are toys for the rich and well to do. There's a reason the under 30k Tesla was never made. Surveys of EV owners show the majority have them as a second car, and take the gas vehicle on long trips.

The AVERAGE price of an EV is just shy of $60,000. While I have bought several new cars over the years, I've NEVER been close to spending that kind of money on any car.

Add in the ACTUAL reasons listed in the survey referenced, EV's have a LONG way to go Especially since all of these so called sales gains have two problems. When you're talking about incresases, 11.4% of a small part of the overall new car market is NOT a huge number. Second, the used car market is much larger than the used car market. The road to EV's for everyone is a lot further off then the press would like.

P.S. The U.S. Economy traditionally considers full employment between 4-5%. We're currently at 4.3%...I guess I should be bracing for the apocalypse.

 

[toooooot]

Plus, c'mon, it's a battery and batteries will degrade over time. And you need to charge more often and it will run out of juice faster and faster.

I feel fairly confident to state that people purchasing used EVs with a solid age on them do not realize the difference between an aging EV and gas car. And thus, they do not realize the disappointment and financial burden with those.
There needs to be a chart in each dealership on every used EV showing how an old EV ages and eventually dies compared to a used gas car.
Plenty of people drive little, hence their old gas cars can last a long time. A battery does not stop aging if you do not recharge/drive often. There is a huge demand for used cars. There will not be such huge demand for older EVs in their current development. Because when people begin to learn what age (not the amount of charges) is realistically the limit before an EV becomes a financial burden, they will let them rot in junkyards.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Most modern EVs, like the new scout, the blazer, the new ev charger ece are too wide.my driveway cannot handle these vehicles, hence why I drive a GLI.

I also cannot afford a $50k car, not really a 40k car. My wages have not kept up with inflation.

What EVs are affordable don't have the range I need to replace my car and old truck.

Charging as we stay now is a cacophony.
But this is always happening in early adoption stageS of any new tech, just remember how things were during late nineties early 2k in the PC industry.

Things will settle, now that Tesla's NACS won the plug type battle in US and CCS2 did the same in the rest of the world.
But the US populace will dive into EV when travelling from NY to LA in an EV won't require to plan too much in advance to avoid unavailable charging points.

We've been hearing this for 20 years now. It's time to **** or get off the pot. Countries like Norway and Sweden have built competent charging networks already.

If the powers that be want ev adoption, they have to actually invest in the infrastructure(and ensure it is spent correctly, no more $1.2 billion chargers)

 

[Phylop]

Electric vehicles don’t make much sense for people who don’t own a home—among many other reasons. One of the key advantages EVs *should* offer is convenience for daily commuting. But if you live somewhere without access to overnight charging, it quickly becomes a major hassle. Instead of heading straight home after work, you might find yourself saying, “Guess I’ve got to spend half an hour—or longer—sitting at a charging station, just so I can make it to work tomorrow.” That’s not convenience.

Meanwhile, a gas-powered car typically gets more range per tank, and when it does need a refill, you’re back on the road in a few minutes.

If EVs are ever going to be more than just a second car for wealthy households—used around town while their gas vehicle still handles the road trips—then we need to eliminate the real-world disadvantages they face.

- Charging from 0 to 100% needs to take just a few minutes.
- Charging stations must be as common as gas stations—especially if fast charging doesn’t improve. The longer charging takes, the more stations we’ll need to avoid lines and wait times.
- EV batteries must perform better in cold weather.
- Battery life must improve dramatically, with less degradation over time.

Until these and other challenges are addressed, EVs are going to be a hard sell for people who can only afford one vehicle—or who don’t have a place to charge it at night.

 

[mbk34]

ALL of Europe land wise, can fit into a couple of states in America.

Europe and America are actually the same size.

If you're having a petrol/diesel based vehicle, when the gas runs out, you can just get to the nearest gas station and fill up full tank in less than 5 mins. And continue driving immediately. Why, even if your car stopped halfway to the gas station, you can just go to the station with an empty can and bring back some gas to fill up.

Most EV owners just plug in at home and wake up to a full "tank" in the morning. That would be about 300 miles. The cost to fill the battery from empty is about $4 - $8 depending on the cost of electricity in your area. If you want to drive more than 300 miles in one day then you can use public chargers which are more expensive.

I feel fairly confident to state that people purchasing used EVs with a solid age on them do not realize the difference between an aging EV and gas car. And thus, they do not realize the disappointment and financial burden with those.

They're not dropping in price because they're falling apart or their batteries are failing. They're falling in price because technology is improving and government grants make purchasing new EVs cheaper. You can get some stunning EV's second hand and there's usually less to worry about as they don't have nearly so many moving parts as ICE vehicles. On something like a Tesla, it doesn't even require annual maintenance, it just tells you when to replace the tyres and windscreen wipers.

Sure there are cheaper EVs than the Model 3, but they are trash in comparison. And that's why Tesla has taken a majority of the American demand for EVs for years.

There are plenty of EVs that are more than equal to Tesla: BYD Seal, Ioniq 6 and 5, Polestar 3, the VW ID 7 and BMW i4. Obviously with the current tariffs in the US you may be paying higher taxes on some of these vehicles.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

Ah yes, everyone else is lying, but random internet guy is here to set the record straight; Tesla is doing great! The fact that everyone is reporting otherwise should be ignored. Every outlet that reported that Tesla sales are down across the board in every market, they were all lying, right? Wait no, they must have been talking about only that Cybertruck monstrosity or Model Y, right? Whose production Tesla shut down, not because nobody was buying it, but because... oh wait. Let's not even get into Tesla's horrific resale value.

Ahh, you trust news outlets that mindlessly rephrase what someone else has written without doing any reporting of their own.

Regarding Tesla resale values dropping significantly, did you even read the news about it?? https://www.fastcompany.com/91289006/tesla-prices-depreciated-more-than-any-other-automaker-in-2024

The price of used Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y vehicles depreciated more than any other cars in 2024, according to a Fast Company analysis of CarGurus data.
[...]
While electric cars made up four of the top 10 fastest depreciating cars (including Jeep Wrangler 4xe and Chevrolet Bolt EV), Tesla’s steep price drops are driven by brand-specific factors. Last year, the company slashed prices to help revive lagging demand for its autos, including cutting the cost of the base Model Y to $44,630, further dragging own the resale value of aftermarket cars.

In effect, it reinforces what I said, that Tesla is bringing down prices. More affordable vehicles INCREASES demand. A vehicle with more value for the same price will also increase demand. Unless you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the law of supply and demand, this is true.

Since you seem to be completely oblivious to this, let me repeat it. In Q1, Tesla took down all the production lines of the best selling car of 2024 globally to refresh its interior and add features. This is why their sales have been down recently, because their production was down. If you're reading news outlets that are ignoring Tesla's own official comments, then you are really reading news from incompetent outlets.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

There are plenty of EVs that are more than equal to Tesla: BYD Seal, Ioniq 6 and 5, Polestar 3, the VW ID 7 and BMW i4. Obviously with the current tariffs in the US you may be paying higher taxes on some of these vehicles.

If they are "more than equal to Tesla" then why does every single one of them get outsold by Tesla? The best selling vehicle of these in 2024 was the Ioniq 5, and it had a 19% sales decrease from 2023 (now 93k vehicles) which is worse than Tesla's one-off Q1 numbers decrease. The other vehicles sell about half as well as the Ioniq 5 does. All of these combined would have a sales figure that's just about half of the Model 3's alone. Only the Hyundai is even available in the US... For instance the ID.7 was canceled before it even arrived here. I guess it must not be as good as you think.

 

[mbk34]

If they are "more than equal to Tesla" then why does every single one of them get outsold by Tesla? The best selling vehicle of these in 2024 was the Ioniq 5, and it had a 19% sales decrease from 2023 (now 93k vehicles) which is worse than Tesla's one-off Q1 numbers decrease. The other vehicles sell about half as well as the Ioniq 5 does. All of these combined would have a sales figure that's just about half of the Model 3's alone. Only the Hyundai is even available in the US... For instance the ID.7 was canceled before it even arrived here. I guess it must not be as good as you think.

Don't get me wrong, I like Tesla and my next car was likely be a model 3 standard range. Unfortunately politics have changed and people around the world just aren't happy with America in general and Elon in particular. That means I'll be looking for an alternative.

I suspect sales of EVs are far from a true reflection of vehicle ability but more a reflection of what companies want to do business there at the moment and whether customers are happy to pay the new tariffs imposed. Elsewhere the BYD Seal is supposedly very similar to the M3 but costs $15K less. The Ioniq 5 is wildly reviewed as a more practical and better handling that the M3. I personally like the Ioniq 6 but, personally, I don't need fast so I'd be after something slower.

I accidentally left off the Mercedes CLA electric in my list. That has a similar price to the M3 but offers nearly 500 miles of range and a charge speed of about 200 miles in 10 minutes (if the chargers in America are powerful enough).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOBZgUgRIP8

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

Don't get me wrong, I like Tesla and my next car was likely be a model 3 standard range. Unfortunately politics have changed and people around the world just aren't happy with America in general and Elon in particular. That means I'll be looking for an alternative.

I suspect sales of EVs are far from a true reflection of vehicle ability but more a reflection of what companies want to do business there at the moment and whether customers are happy to pay the new tariffs imposed. Elsewhere the BYD Seal is supposedly very similar to the M3 but costs $15K less. The Ioniq 5 is wildly reviewed as a more practical and better handling that the M3. I personally like the Ioniq 6 but, personally, I don't need fast so I'd be after something slower.

I accidentally left off the Mercedes CLA electric in my list. That has a similar price to the M3 but offers nearly 500 miles of range and a charge speed of about 200 miles in 10 minutes (if the chargers in America are powerful enough).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOBZgUgRIP8

Why are you talking about tariffs? We're talking about global vehicle sales, not US sales. And all the figures I cited were from 2024, before Trump took office.

You also can't compare Chinese prices with European or American prices. You have to compare the prices of the same market. When the BYD Seal is sold in China, the low feature version costs 176k Yuan while the Chinese Model 3 costs 232k Yuan (a difference of under $8k). When it's exported to the UK, it's flat out more expensive than the Model 3. In addition, the Independent found the Model 3 to be the undeniable winner.

The Mercedes CLA EV is not on sale yet and is expected to start at over $10k more than the Model 3... The 500 mile range is WLTP, so 400 miles of range is a much more realistic number. Again, not comparable. And per Car and Driver, it claims it charges 150 miles in 10 minutes (likely due to WLTP having exaggerated numbers).

I really recommend doing more research because it doesn't seem like you know much about these cars.

 

[p51d007]

Europe and America are actually the same size.

You can overlay Europe in the 48 states and still have room left over, but, that wasn't my point.
My point is EACH country in Europe is it's own country, whereas you have multiple governments in a SMALLER size "country" where EV's would work. You could put several countries in Europe, inside just Texas with room to spare.