7 in 10 Americans express some level of interest in buying or leasing an electric-only vehicle (EV). Among Americans who said they expect their next vehicle to be new, 38% said they would at least seriously consider getting an EV if they were to get a vehicle today. This however highlights a significant gap between consideration and actual purchases, as only around 7% of new vehicle purchases in 2023 were battery electric vehicles. Deeper analysis of the survey findings showed that overall consumer experience with EVs is very low. Consumer Reports developed an EV experience index on a scale of 0 to 4 based on answers to a series of four survey questions, ranging from whether they have seen an EV in their neighborhood to whether they have driven one. Only 5% of Americans score a 4 on the EV Experience Index, meaning they had had all four experiences asked about, while 64% of Americans score a 1 or less.

Check out this press release from Consumer Reports for additional analysis and reflections.