Nobody Wants EVs? The Data Tells a Different Story

Episode Focus

New EV sales are down. Americans still overwhelmingly favor gas-powered vehicles. The federal tax credit is gone.

It sounds like a terrible time to talk about EVs.

Except used EV sales are growing, prices are approaching parity with gas vehicles and a large wave of off-lease inventory is entering the market.

Cold Open

EV demand has cooled.

The tax credit is gone, and most Americans still say they'd rather buy a gas-powered car.

So EVs are dead, right? Not exactly.

Used EVs are getting cheaper, used EV prices are up 5.1% Jan-June '26 so I think any GM watching this will disagree but they are currently turning faster than ICE units - think we should frame this and segment 3 around speed to sale vs price more off-lease inventory is hitting the market, and buyers suddenly have options that didn't exist a few years ago.

So maybe the question isn't whether everyone wants an EV.

It's whether the right buyer is overlooking a really good deal.

 

Segment 1: Do Americans Actually Not Want EVs?

Different studies ask consumers different questions, and the answers look dramatically different depending on how the question is framed.

What the Data Actually Says:

Deloitte: 61% of U.S. consumers surveyed intend to buy an ICE vehicle next. Another 26% intend to buy a hybrid, while 7% intend to buy a BEV.

Pew: 32% of U.S. adults say they would seriously consider an EV as their next vehicle. That's down from 42% in 2022, but roughly unchanged from 2025. 

And among people actively shopping for a new vehicle, J.D. Power found 25% are very likely to consider an EV and another 35% are somewhat likely. Consideration actually ticked up year over year.

Discussion Fuel

What happens between consideration and purchase?

Dealer Lens

  • Most Americans aren't planning to buy an EV next.

  • A meaningful portion will still consider one.

  • Hybrid interest is stronger.

  • EV consideration among actual new-car shoppers remains considerably higher than purchase intent.

  • The opportunity may be less about converting everyone and more about identifying the customer already open to the product.

Core Idea: The EV problem may not be getting shoppers to look. It may be getting them comfortable enough to buy.





Segment 2: What Is Actually Stopping the Sale?

What Buyers Say

Among 2026 shoppers, 73% say they would need at least 500 miles of range to consider paying a premium for an EV, while 43% expect charging availability to match gas stations.

And home charging matters enormously. Among apartment residents, only 18% say they're very likely to consider an EV.

Dealer Lens

Some objections are completely legitimate.

Someone living in an apartment with no reliable charging has a fundamentally different ownership proposition from someone with a garage and a Level 2 charger. Or someone hitting the road often for long drives. 

Core Idea: The right response to an EV objection isn't always overcoming it. Sometimes it's recognizing that the customer isn't the right fit.

Segment 3: New EVs Are Struggling. Used EVs Aren't.


New EV sales: approximately 212,600, down 28% year over year.

Used EV sales: approximately 93,500, up 12% year over year.

The EV story dealers heard for years was:

More expensive vehicle + uncertain customer + charging objection.

But using EV’s pricing changes that equation.

Now you've potentially got:

  • Lower acquisition prices

  • Low-mileage vehicles

  • Increasing used demand

  • Near-parity with ICE pricing

  • Customers who might never have considered a new EV

Core Idea: The new-EV story and used-EV story are becoming two different stories.

Segment 4: The Lease-Return Wave

EV leasing surged during the incentive-heavy years, and those vehicles are beginning to return.

Deloitte says a large pipeline of off-lease BEVs is arriving on the secondary market, while residual values are already tracking below expectations. Now we have concrete dealer questions to explore:

  • Is off-lease EV inventory an acquisition opportunity?

  • Does an influx of three-year-old EVs create a new entry point for EV-curious buyers?

  • What should dealers know about battery condition and remaining warranty?

  • Can the salesperson actually explain battery health, charging and ownership?

  • If you acquire them cheaply but your team can't sell them, is it really an opportunity?

Core Idea: Cheap inventory isn't an opportunity unless your dealership knows how to merchandise and sell it.





Segment 5: Who Should You Actually Sell an EV To?

Now turn all of the data into something usable on Saturday morning.

Instead of:

“How do we convince more people to buy EVs?”

Ask:

“Who is already a good EV customer?”

The Data Gives Us Some Clues

Potential Strong-Fit Profile

Not a rule, but a useful profile to discuss:

  • Has home charging access

  • Predictable daily driving

  • Understands actual range needs

  • Doesn't regularly depend on long-distance driving

  • Is open to technology

  • Values lower fuel costs

  • Can take advantage of attractive used pricing

Potential Weak-Fit Profile

  • No reliable home/work charging

  • Heavy unpredictable long-distance driving

  • Strong charging-time concerns

  • Needs one vehicle to handle every possible use case

  • Already resistant to EV ownership

Instead of throwing an EV at every customer because it's sitting on the lot:

Qualify for lifestyle fit.

And if EV doesn't fit?

Hybrid demand is stronger than EV consideration among the general population. That may be the bridge product.

"Pew has 44% would seriously consider a hybrid vs. 32% EV, and Deloitte has 26% hybrid intent vs. 7% BEV."

Core Idea: The goal isn't to sell everyone an EV. It's to stop missing the customer who should be driving one.

Closing thought:

Bad sentiment can create good buying opportunities, but only for the right buyer.