Once consumers switch to electric vehicles, they don’t tend to return to gas-powered models, according to one survey.

Just 12% of the more than 6,100 EV owners who responded to an annual J.D. Power poll said they would likely consider an internal-combustion-engine vehicle for their next purchase. 

“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,” said J.D. Power Executive Director of EV Practice Brent Gruber.

EV owners’ likelihood of getting an EV for their next vehicle is at 94% and has been as high as 97% in the past several years, J.D. Power found, pointing out that “the high rate of repurchase intent offers the ability to generate brand loyal customers if the experience is a positive one.”

Auto dealers have an opportunity to do a more thorough job of educating EV buyers on the models for a smoother ownership transition, J.D. Power said. Across brands, its study found just 12% of first-time EV buyers were informed about total ownership cost and 46% on how specific features work.

Mass-market EVs rated better in terms of quality than did premium EVs, their owners experiencing fewer problems in the less expensive models. The study found that seven of the 10 models with the fewest reported problems are mass-market EVs.

At the model level, the BMW iX ranked highest overall in the premium segment with a score of 790, followed by the German automaker’s i4 at 783 and the Rivian R1S at 770.

In the mass-market segment, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 was tops at 751, followed by the Kia EV6 at 743 and the Chevrolet Equinox EV at 737.

Owners of 2024 and 2025 battery-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles were surveyed between August and December.

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