Most Canadian EV owners would buy another: CAA survey

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Most Canadians who own electric vehicles (EVs) would buy another, and many of the concerns they had before they bought one declined considerably after they did, but public charging still remains a concern for many. That’s the result of a recent survey by CAA, based on replies from more than 16,000 EV owners across the country.

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The survey found that drivers who buy EVs are very satisfied with them, with 97% of respondents saying they would buy another when it’s time to replace the one they have. Comparing their EV to a gasoline vehicle, 89% said they enjoy driving it more; 95% found it more affordable; and 92% said it’s a quieter ride.

Owning and driving the vehicle made a difference in the concerns they had about EVs overall before they bought one. While none of the respondents did a complete turnaround, worries about the battery range dropped by 37 percentage points to 30%. Concerns about the vehicle’s performance in cold weather fell by 25 percentage points, to 33%. The largest drop was in concerns about battery degradation, which fell 41 percentage points to 13%.

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These owners may have fewer concerns about their cars, but public charging is still an issue for many — and while charging at home is still the most popular method, those surveyed said they still spend 30% of their time charging their cars outside of that; and 44% said the availability of public chargers is an issue.

That lack of charging is an issue for longer trips, and 36% of owners said they don’t have enough confidence in public infrastructure to take their EVs on a long road trip. For 67% of those responding, there’s still a gasoline vehicle in the driveway, and they’re more likely to depend on it for longer journeys.

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“We know EVs are gaining sales, but a lot of people still have questions,” said Ian Jack, CAA National’s vice-president of public affairs. “We think this research, into the actual experiences of EV drivers in Canada, sheds an important light into where the real pain points are, and where potential buyers can perhaps worry less.”

The Canadian survey’s results are similar to a 2022 study in the U.S. by Plug In America, which found that 90% of EV owners surveyed said they were “likely” or “very likely” to buy another EV as their next purchase. Public charging was the most common concern, with 34% of owners overall complaining of broken or malfunctioning chargers, or insufficient charging locations. The exception was Tesla owners, with only 3% citing broken chargers, and 2% concerned about charging station availability.