Half Of Americans Want To Test Drive An EV

Interest in EVs is still strong, according to a survey from Consumer Reports.

Photo by: InsideEVs

Tim Levin

By: Tim Levin

Oct 24, 2024 at 4:00pm ET

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Interest in EVs is strong, according to a survey from Consumer Reports.
Half of Americans want to test drive an EV the next time they're at a dealership.
They still have questions about battery longevity, range and ownership cost.

Despite all the headlines about EV demand stalling or sagging or sputtering, plenty of Americans are still interested in electric cars.

According to a survey from Consumer Reports, half of Americans say they would be interested in test driving an electric vehicle the next time they're at a dealership. Another 13% said they were "unsure," while 37% said they would not be interested in testing an EV.

The results reaffirm something that we've understood for a while now; while EV sales are indeed growing more slowly than they were before, it's not simply because people are shunning the technology. Many have legitimate concerns about charging infrastructure, battery longevity and sticker price, but are still open to the idea of an EV.

Test drives can be a powerful tool in convincing people to pull the trigger on an electric car, Consumer Reports says. Its previous research has shown that the more direct experience people have with EVs, the more likely they are to buy one. Moreover, other studies indicate that once people buy their first EV, they're usually hooked and rarely go back to gas vehicles.

The organization's survey highlights one key barrier in converting EV interest into actual sales, however: dealers. As we've covered extensively in the past, many car dealers are not excited about selling EVs. Some don't think it's their job to convince buyers to go electric. As a result, consumers often get wrong or inadequate information about their purchase.

Of the survey respondents who went to a dealership recently in search of a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric car, 20% were not satisfied with the information they received. Meanwhile, 46% were somewhat satisfied and 28% were very satisfied. There's "room for improvement" there, Consumer Reports says.

“Consumer interest in cleaner vehicle types continues to be strong, but many consumers still have a lot of questions. They need help navigating the rapid technological change occurring in the car market,” said Chris Harto, senior policy analyst for transportation and energy at the nonprofit.

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So, what do those interested in cleaner vehicles want to know about? The top areas of interest were battery longevity (53% of clean-vehicle shoppers), cost of ownership (52%), real-world range (47%) and tax credits (45%). Car dealers, take note.

Contact the author: tim.levin@insideevs.com