Changing sentiment among BEV owners

After a decline in overall satisfaction in 2024, owners of both premium and mass market battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are expressing a change of sentiment this year, according to a recent study.

The J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study showed that BEVs reached a market share of 9.1 per cent in 2024 in the United States, up from 8.4 per cent in 2023. This was driven by the growing number of mass market BEV models entering the market.

However, uncertainty surrounds the EV landscape due to the current presidential administration’s signal to eliminate or reduce EV tax incentives and public charging infrastructure funding. J.D. Power forecasted EV share of retail sales to remain flat in 2025.

“The elimination of EV tax incentives and public charging funding has the potential to affect two critical barriers to EV adoption: Public charging availability and vehicle prices,” said Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power. “This temporary slowdown in market share growth for EVs creates a unique challenge for the industry as manufacturers forge ahead with new vehicle introductions. The EV market will be faced with expanded product offerings and flat share, creating increased competition.”

The study highlights several key findings.

One, owners of BEVs have a strong intent to stick with EVs for their next vehicle purchase, with 94 per cent likely to consider purchasing another BEV. This high rate of repurchase intent offers manufacturers the ability to generate brand-loyal customers if the experience is positive.

Only 12 per cent of BEV owners are likely to consider replacing their EV with an internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered vehicle during their next purchase.

“With five years of conducting this study and surveying thousands of EV owners, it’s apparent that once consumers enter the EV fold, they’re highly likely to remain committed to the technology,” Gruber said.

Mass market BEV quality continues to outperform premium BEVs, although the gap has narrowed this year. Among the top 10 BEV models with the fewest reported problems, seven are in the mass market segment.

“In both segments, the two highest-ranked models in the index rankings are also the best-performing models in total quality,” Gruber said. “This illustrates the important link between vehicle quality and overall ownership satisfaction.”

Premium plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) may be a viable alternative for customers hesitant to make the leap to a full EV. Satisfaction among owners in the premium PHEV segment is higher than mass market BEVs and mass market PHEVs, and only slightly lower than premium BEVs.

Public charging woes persist, but improvement is seen among mass market owners. Satisfaction with public charger availability is highest among owners of premium BEVs, but the gap between premium and mass market BEV owners is now narrower than ever before. Among mass market BEV owners, satisfaction is up 86 points year over year as infrastructure buildout continues and brands benefit from the opening of the Tesla Supercharger network.

The study also found that there’s an opportunity to improve BEV ownership experience through customer education. While 69 per cent of first-time BEV buyers received some form of education or training during the purchase process, specific education topics needed to optimize the ownership experience are lacking.

“First-time EV buyers are receiving minimal education or training,” said Gruber. “Dealer and manufacturer representatives play the crucial role of front-line educators, but when it comes to EVs, the specific education needed to shorten the learning curve just isn’t happening often enough. The shortfall in buyer education is something we’re seeing with all brands.”

Study rankings found that BMW iX ranks highest overall in satisfaction and highest in the premium BEV segment, followed by BMW i4 and Rivian R1S. Hyundai Ioniq 6 ranks highest in the mass market BEV segment, followed by Kia EV6 and Chevrolet Equinox EV.