Survey Says: EV Owners Are (Mostly) Happy With Their Electric Cars

Nearly 9% of vehicles sold in America last year were electric. Based on feedback from a recent survey, that number is likely to continue climbing.

According to the results from the 2025 EV Ownership Study published by CDK Global, a company that “focuses on automotive trends that impact car dealerships so they can plan and prepare” for the future, 82% of current EV owners say they will buy another EV in the future. More than a third of people who responded to the survey say an EV is all they currently own, and 18% own at least two EVs already. Of those surveyed, Baby Boomers were the least likely to say they’re sticking with electric cars at 55%.

Somewhat surprisingly, only 5% of EV buyers (and just 4% of Tesla buyers) say they bought their cars entirely online, despite the movement from upstart electric automakers focusing on the online shopping experience. Around 67% of buyers went directly to a dealership to buy, while 27% responded that they used both online and traditional car-buying methods. In total 95% of purchasers took a test drive before making their decision to buy.

The most common reasons owners highlighted for going electric were cost-effectiveness and environmental impact. Buyers also went the EV route to get advanced technology, strong safety scores, superior vehicle performance, low maintenance costs, and tax incentives. According to the survey, 76% of owners say they’ve saved money by driving an EV.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that most EV buyers choose to charge their cars at home. Around three-quarters of owners say they’ve had home chargers installed, 34% say they charge every night, 35% say they charge every other night and 23% say they charge once every three days. Considering that EV range is increasing on a yearly basis, the fact that 7% say they only charge once per week makes sense. The average Tesla owner says they drive around 21 miles per day while commuting while non-Tesla EV owners average around 16 miles. The national average, regardless of vehicle type, sits at 17.5 miles.

Most EVs today have sufficient battery capacity to travel between 200 and 300 miles between charging sessions, and 45% of those who responded to CDK report no problems using their EVs for long-distance traveling.

Tesla’s network of Superchargers has proven more reliable than third-party solutions, according to EV owners, with the lack of available plugs, broken chargers, smartphone app issues, plug incompatibility, and short charging cables cited as common complaints. Irritatingly for EV owners, 14% of Tesla owners and 10% of non-Tesla EV owners report a gasoline-powered vehicle blocking access to chargers as something they’ve experienced.

EV owners who took road trips between 250 and 500 miles rang in at 28%, and those who traveled between 500 and 1,000 miles came in at 14%. Just 2% say they’ve taken trips exceeding 1,500 miles.

The Department of Energy’s Fuel Economy in Cold Weather report says EV batteries may drop up to 40% of capacity in cold weather (regular gas cars drop up to 20% and hybrids up to 30%). According to CDK, 12% of EV owners say range is reduced in extremely warm weather, 31% say it’s reduced in extreme cold, and 57% report no change in range regardless of the weather.

While electric vehicles generally don’t require as much regular maintenance as their gasoline-fueled counterparts, 83% of EV owners say they’ve taken their vehicles in for service. While 53% of EV owners say it’s cheaper to maintain their electric cars than their gas cars, the majority of survey respondents say it took more than one visit to solve their issues.

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