High-purchase cost and convenience of charging logistics remains barriers to owning an EV for Americans

Washington DC, March 18, 2024— Ipsos polling finds that American attitudes and experiences with Electric Vehicles (EVs) remain largely the same from 2022. Cost and convenience remain pressing concerns for American consumers who don’t own an EV, with majorities citing each as a barrier to owning an EV. While cost and charging logistics are top of mind, some incentives Ipsos tested, like government subsidies and easy to access charging infrastructure, encourage some consumers to consider getting an EV.

Notably, while a majority of Americans are open to the possibility of getting an EV in the next two years, few are totally certain they will get one. Instead, there is a notable segment of the car-owning public, who is not interested in EVs at all. These Americans are more likely to be Republican, live in rural areas, and make less than $50K.

Check out Ipsos’ 2022 study on EVs here.

Detailed findings:

1. Overall, only 6% of Americans own an electric-only (4%) or plug-in hybrid (2%) car. That’s slightly higher than in 2022 when 3% of Americans reported owning an electric-only (2%) or plug-in hybrid (1%).

• Those 35-49 (6%) are more likely to own an electric-only vehicle than their younger (18-34, 4%) or older (50-64, 3% and 65+, 2%) counterparts.
• More affluent Americans, those with a household income over $100K, are also more likely to own an electric-only (6%) vehicle than those with household incomes between $50K and $99K (2%) and those under $50K (2%). Urban and suburban respondents (4% each) are more likely to own an electric-only car than rural Americans (1%). Likewise, Democrats (5%) are more likely than Republicans (2%) to own an electric-only vehicle.
• Nearly one in five (17%) prospective car buyers are seriously considering buying or leasing a plug-in hybrid or EV-only vehicle in the next two years. One in three (33%) say they might consider getting a plug-in hybrid or EV-only vehicle, but it will not be in the next two years. Very few (5%) say they are definitely buying or leasing a plug-in hybrid or electric-only vehicle during that same time frame.

 2. Three in five Americans who don’t own an EV say charging logistics (59%) and high-purchase cost (59%) are the biggest barriers to buying or leasing a plug-in hybrid or electric-only vehicle in the next two years.

• This is unchanged from 2022 (59% cited high-purchase costs, and 58% cited charging logistics).
• Second tier concerns include ongoing maintenance costs (36%), performance of the vehicle in very cold or hot weather (36%), and concern that they don’t know enough about EVs (24%).

 3. Subsidies and public infrastructure may encourage some non-EV owning Americans to consider getting an EV in the next two years.

• Among people who do not own a hybrid of electric vehicle, 38% say free public charging stations and easy access to fast-charging public stations could nudge them to buy an EV.
• A similar share report that the ability to charge a car where they live (35%) and local, state, or federal subsidies (35%) could encourage them to get an EV.
• These findings are largely in line with Ipsos polling from 2022, the last time this question was asked.

About the Study

This poll was conducted December 8-10, 2023, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 3,033 general population adults age 18 or older.

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points for at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.09 for all respondents. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.

The survey was conducted using KnowledgePanel, the largest and most well-established online probability-based panel that is representative of the adult U.S. population. Our recruitment process employs a scientifically developed addressed-based sampling methodology using the latest Delivery Sequence File of the USPS – a database with full coverage of all delivery points in the U.S. Households invited to join the panel are randomly selected from all available households in the U.S. Persons in the sampled households are invited to join and participate in the panel. Those selected who do not already have internet access are provided a tablet and internet connection at no cost to the panel member. Those who join the panel and who are selected to participate in a survey are sent a unique password-protected log-in used to complete surveys online. As a result of our recruitment and sampling methodologies, samples from KnowledgePanel cover all households regardless of their phone or internet status and findings can be reported with a margin of sampling error and projected to the general population. KnowledgePanel members receive a per survey incentive, usually the equivalent of $1 (though for some it is $2) in points, that can be redeemed for cash or prizes. No prenotification email for this study was sent prior to field. Panelists receive a unique login to the survey and are only able to complete it one time. One reminder email was sent for this study.

The data for the total sample were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, and household income. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2023 March Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS). The weighting categories were as follows:

• Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59 and 60+)
• Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other, Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races, Non-Hispanic)
• Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor or higher)
• Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
• Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
• Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
• Party ID (Democrat, Republican, Independent, Something else)

This topline is trended with data from a previous Ipsos poll fielded October 14-16, 2022, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. That poll was based on a nationally representative probability sample of 3,041 general population adults age 18 or older. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points for at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.10 for all respondents. More information about this poll can be found here.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Chris Jackson

Senior Vice President, US Public Affairs

+1 202 420-2025

[email protected]

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