Electric vehicle owners reluctant to switch back to petrol cars: Report

New electric vehicles owners are reluctant to switch back to petrol or diesel-powered cars, reveals a survey by J.D. Power. This trend comes at a time when the concerns about the availability of EV charging infrastructure still loom.

Brent Gruber, senior director of global automotive at J.D. Power, said that many consumers have concerns during the purchase consideration process with aspects such as battery range and vehicle charging. "However, once someone has purchased a BEV, they're pretty much hooked," Gruber further added.

The revelation comes at a time when electric vehicles around the world are witnessing surging demand and increasing sales numbers, at times, even challenging fossil-fuel vehicle sales. There are multiple reasons behind this growth and EV owners are not willing to switch back to petrol or diesel vehicles.

Electric vehicles offer a significantly lower cost of ownership compared to their ICE counterparts. Also, the battery pricing of EVs is coming down with every passing year, owing to the improving battery technology and rising demands. The increasing price of fossil fuel, stringent emissions norms being imposed by governments, growing preference for cleaner personal mobility, increased awareness about vehicular emission and its impact on climate change are other reasons fuelling demand for electric vehicles.

The 2022 US Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) ownership study shows that satisfaction among electric vehicle owners who are new to BEVs averaged 754 on a 1,000-point scale, which is comparable to 766 among those who have owned a BEV prior to their current one.

The study also found that Tesla Model 3 ranked highest overall and highest in the premium battery-electric vehicle segment with a score of 777. The Kia Niro EV ranked highest in the mass market BEV segment for a second consecutive year with a score of 744.