While U.S. public charging networks got faster, more plentiful, and better-rated, only 11% of American gas- and diesel-vehicle owners named an EV as their most likely next purchase. Meanwhile, 77% of existing EV owners said they’d buy another one. The infrastructure is improving. The first-time buyer isn’t converting. That distinction matters more than the charging-station count.
The figures come from the HERE Technologies–SBD Automotive 2026 EV Index, a survey of 4,058 drivers across eight markets conducted online in June and July 2026.
The Confidence Gap Nobody’s Talking About
EV owners and non-owners are effectively living in parallel realities when it comes to charging.
For a driver evaluating a first EV purchase, the perception gap is stark. According to the HERE-SBD data, 85% of U.S. EV owners rate local charging coverage as good or very good — up from 72% in 2025. Among U.S. non-EV owners, positive ratings of public charging availability stand at 47%. That gap suggests direct experience with a charging network may be associated with lower reported concern, though the survey does not establish causation.
What the data actually shows:
- Only 11% of U.S. gas and diesel owners named an EV as their most likely next vehicle — matching Italy; Germany led surveyed markets at 27%
- Charging access remains the top barrier, cited by 40% of all respondents; driving range ranked second at 37% — both figures declined from 2025, but neither disappeared
- U.S. public charging grew by 31,600 additional charge points, equivalent to roughly 13% of the country’s total, while total charging power rose from 14.1 GW to 20.7 GW, according to HERE
- 54% of existing EV owners still avoided at least one trip because they worried about finding a charger — infrastructure progress and infrastructure confidence are not the same thing
- 56% of surveyed drivers said rising gas prices increased their EV interest, per Axios reporting on the HERE-SBD data
Warming Up, Not Sold
More openness to EVs is real among U.S. drivers — actual purchase intent among first-time buyers is a separate, harder question.
Genuine positive movement exists. Some 53% of U.S. respondents said they were more open to EVs than a year ago. The factors driving that shift are practical:
- Better range and charging speed, cited by 35%
- Expanded charging infrastructure, 31%
- Home or workplace charging availability, 29%
Positive perceptions of U.S. public charging availability rose from 28% to 47%. That is a meaningful climb.
But “more open to considering” and “ready to sign” are not the same destination. Cost perceptions remain genuinely muddled — 34% of U.S. respondents believe EVs are cheaper to own than gasoline vehicles, 28% believe they are more expensive, and 29% consider costs about the same. With no clear financial consensus, a first-time buyer faces real uncertainty rather than an obvious incentive to switch.
The loyalty picture reinforces this split: 77% of U.S. EV owners said they were likely to purchase or lease another EV, compared with just 11% of gas-car owners naming an EV as their most likely next vehicle. The two figures measure different things — repeat intention versus next-vehicle preference — but together they illustrate a retention-versus-conversion problem that expanding model choice alone will not solve. The HERE-SBD report attributes some 2026 sales softness to the expiration of purchase incentives in late 2025, though the survey data does not isolate that effect cleanly; treat that explanation as context rather than confirmed causation.
Expanding the charging map is necessary but not sufficient. Reducing the perceived financial and lifestyle risk of a first EV purchase — through clearer total-cost-of-ownership information, more affordable entry points, and vehicles designed for drivers without convenient home charging — is, according to the study’s findings, the work that remains.
