Reputation is critical for the ascent of the electric car. So, when a plain Google search asserts that 46% of EV owners are considering switching back to gasoline vehicles, something bad is afoot.
Fortunately, that bad is misplaced. It reflects not on the cars but on a large private consulting company that occasionally publishes tidbits from its work. A show-stopping McKinsey & Co snippet from 2024 reports that 29% of current EV owners internationally but forty-six percent (46%) in the U.S report say they are likely to switch back to ICE. ICE is the acronym for gasoline’s internal combustion engine. This 2024 study might have included gas hybrids in their definition, but even then, 46% is an alarming defection rate. McKinsey’s “Mobility Pulse” automotive report is conducted annually, and has a sample size of 36,000 respondents or more.
It’s OK to throw hot water on that ICE.
Read Again:
The more recent “Mobility Pulse” does an about-face. It reports that “The BEV (battery electric vehicle) repurchase rate is high, and relatively few would revert to ICE vehicles.” In fact, under 1 percent of EV owners (internationally) state they will never buy an EV again. In the U.S. just 9 percent of EV owners today say they would switch to a gasoline vehicle. A slightly higher percentage say they might consider a hybrid.
It’s hard to find the “single truth” between these two polls conducted about two years apart. During this period EV range and charging networks have improved, but not by leaps and bounds. So, why the discrepancy? The way that McKinsey derived the sample is the first issue- relying on an Internet recruited sample introduces biases. Or, perhaps it is the survey wording: for example, the 2024 survey might have begun with questions about the charging issue and in that way primed the responses. Or, perhaps they changed the wording completely.
Other Reports:
It’s a good idea when you encounter this conflicting information through a Google search, to seek out more sources. JD Power is a respected automotive research firm. Their 2025 snippet (i.e. press release) based on 6,164 respondents is that BEV owners report a strong intent to stick with EVs for next vehicle purchase. In fact, 94% say they are likely to consider purchasing another BEV for their next vehicle, a rate that is also matched by first-time buyers. Only 12% of EV owners are considering a gasoline vehicle. JD Power relies on their own longitudinal survey, like McKinsey. They find “ 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.”
There’s a second owner study, a touch older, commissioned by Plug in America and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). In 2024 89% of the EV drivers answered that, “it is likely that their next vehicle purchase will be electric.” This is also a longitudinal study and there was no significant change from the year before.
Reputation is EVerything:
The bigger question is do these multiple surveys matter, and this answer is a resounding ‘Yes’. They must be taken seriously because reputation is key for the incipient, but growing, electric vehicle market. In 2025, vehicle purchasers reach beyond the early adopters and the next wave, now a mass market buyer, needs reassurance they are making a reliable choice. Buyers plan to keep this vehicle for years to come.
Reputation is doubly important for electric vehicles: the diffusion of EVs will move faster when drivers see other people “like them” trying it out. It makes the change seem less risky. But today, both electric cars and gasoline cars look similar- so ICE owners do not observe that the market is transitioning.
Drivers of gasoline vehicles are subject to confirmation bias. First, they cannot “visually see” and recognize the large number of EVS on the road. Then they read that 46% are not happy with their cars. This can confirm for them that the EVS are not market ready.
EVerything:
It’s hard to bury the numbers in an old report when AI searches keep referencing it. The percentages end up in the public realm over and over again. That can be welcome publicity if you are a lobbyist for an oil company, a salesman selling gasoline cars, or a car manufacturer that is shy about building more EVS. For the rest of us, it’s one more roadblock to circle around.