- Support for the federal EV tax credit stands at around 50%
- Nearly 80% of EV owners would buy another one without incentives
- Three out of five Americans want state and local EV incentives if Trump kills the federal credit
Even as the Trump Administration is expected to take aim at electric vehicle purchase incentives, they’re actually quite popular with car buyers, according to a new poll published by California-based EV advocacy group Veloz.
The poll, which was conducted by Probolsky Research for Veloz, asked respondents whether the government should provide such EV incentives—and 67% answered in the affirmative. However, that number shrank to 50% when respondents were asked about the federal government specifically.
Adding to the complexity of this picture, 61% of respondents said they wanted state and local governments to “increase their support and invest in electric vehicles” if the federal government ends EV incentives. That’s what California has pledged to do if the Trump Administration nixes the $7,500 federal EV tax credit.
U.S. consumer interest in EVs (from 2024 Veloz poll)
If state and local governments don’t step up and provide this support, EV sales momentum may not be completely halted, the poll indicates. The majority of current EV owners (78.2%) said they would still choose an EV without any incentives that reduce the vehicle’s purchase price, as did 38.1% of non-EV owners.
These results are based on a sample of adult residents of California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania (excluding Philadelphia metro), Georgia, Michigan, Washington, Colorado, Hawaii, and Maryland. Veloz and Probolsky Research claim this sample accurately represents the demographic characteristics of each state.
Michigan had one of the lowest rates of those who don’t now own an EV who would consider one. As a post-election report recently suggested, a high-level pro-Trump disinformation campaign (unanswered by Democratic candidate Harris) may have worked very effectively in swaying public opinion—perhaps in a way that sticks beyond the election.
2025 Kia Niro EV
Regarding specific reasons for not choosing an EV, this poll emphasizes, along with so many others before it, that cost is the prohibitive part of EV adoption, with charging and battery concerns coming after that. Nearly half (48.4%) listed the cost to buy an EV as their main concern, with 38.7% citing charging and maintenance costs and 38.3% citing concerns that batteries won’t last long enough.
Yet cost savings were also the top reason for considering an EV. Saving money on gas was the main reason for both EV owners (51.9%) and non-owners (60.3%), followed by improving air quality.
So it seems that sensitivity to cost cuts both ways, with buyers potentially concerned that spending less money on gas will be cancelled out by a high purchase price and charging costs. That’s certainly something incentives could help address.