US: What do electric car buyers want from their next vehicle?

There are number of reasons to buy an electric car. YouGov Profiles data shows that, of Americans who plan to purchase one, two-thirds say a good reason to do so is to protect the environment (66%), while three in five want lower general costs such as tax, maintenance, and lower running costs for fuel (61%). Over a quarter of buyersare observing the industry in transition from fossil fuels and towards greener fuels, so they want to future-proofing the next car purchase(28%).

But looking past the reasons people want to buy electric, what do people want in their EVs once they are driving them?

Looking at a list of key features, that people who intend to buy an electric car want, reveals that the most popular add-on is smartphone integration. Two in five (42%) prospective buyers would consider opting for this kit in their next vehicle.

The next-most popular options are a bit more pragmatic: nearly the same proportion of would-be electric car buyers want a blindspot monitor (39%) or a collision avoidance system (38%).

A third want a touchscreen/unified multimedia control interface such as iDrive (34%), while three in ten would consider a lane departure warning system (30%). Over a quarter would like to see advanced driver assistance systems (28%), automotive night vision (28%), or pedestrian detection (26%).

It’s a varied list of features – and one that highlights that electric car buyers aren’t just looking to reduce their carbon footprint, begrudgingly purchase one for future-proofing’s sake, or pay less to get where they want to go. There are a number of luxury features and quality of life improvements that matter to a significant proportion of EV car buyers – with safety features and advances being highly relevant for this group.

Methodology

YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Data is from the 11 July 2021 dataset. Profiles data is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.

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