Survey: Electric Vehicles Still a Niche Market in the US
▼ Summary
– The US electric vehicle transition is progressing, with 7% of buyers wanting an EV for their next car, a 40% increase from the previous year.
– Internal combustion engines remain the dominant US choice at 61%, while 21% prefer hybrids, making the US an outlier compared to markets like Germany and China.
– Global preferences vary significantly, with fewer than half of German buyers and only 41% in China, Japan, and South Korea wanting gas-powered vehicles next.
– Recent US anti-EV policies, including canceled tax credits and rolled-back standards, have created uncertainty for automakers’ EV investments.
– A major barrier to US EV adoption is home charging access, with 53% of Americans lacking it, compared to much lower rates in Germany (20%) and China (6%).
The shift toward electric vehicles continues, though the pace has moderated from earlier highs. Recent data reveals that only 7 percent of U.S. car buyers currently plan to choose an electric vehicle for their next purchase. This figure, while seemingly modest, represents a notable 40 percent increase from the previous year’s survey results. The dominant preference remains firmly with traditional gasoline engines, selected by 61 percent of American consumers. Hybrid models also show growing appeal, with interest rising to 21 percent, while plug-in hybrid demand has slightly dipped to 5 percent.
This strong inclination toward internal combustion engines sets the United States apart from other major automotive markets. In countries like Germany, fewer than half of potential buyers want another gasoline-powered car. The number drops to just 41 percent in China, Japan, and South Korea. However, the shift away from traditional engines doesn’t uniformly benefit pure battery electric vehicles. In China, EV demand is a robust 20 percent, but in Japan, only 5 percent of consumers want a battery EV, with a much larger 37 percent opting for hybrid technology instead.
The survey period, spanning October to November 2025, followed the implementation of several federal policy changes. These included the elimination of the clean vehicle tax credit, relaxed fuel efficiency standards, and a lack of enforcement for automakers exceeding existing regulations. The environment was further complicated by unpredictable import tariffs. These factors have created significant headwinds for automakers who invested heavily in establishing North American EV production capacity, making a swift return on those investments increasingly challenging.
A critical barrier to broader EV adoption in the U.S. is the lack of convenient home charging infrastructure. More than half of American respondents, 53 percent, reported they do not have a way to charge a vehicle at home. This stands in stark contrast to markets like Germany, where only 20 percent lack home charging, and China, where the figure is a mere 6 percent. Japan, where plug-in vehicles are even less popular than in the U.S., is the only market with a higher rate of no home charger access, at 75 percent. This infrastructure gap remains a pivotal obstacle for many American consumers considering an electric vehicle.
(Source: Ars Technica)
