JD Power Study Says 96% of BEV Owners Would Consider Purchasing or Leasing Another BEV
Although the electric vehicle market has faced notable volatility over the past year, owner sentiment has reached its strongest level yet. According to the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study, overall satisfaction among current battery electric vehicle owners stands at its highest point since the study began in 2021. Nearly all new BEV owners, 96 percent, say they would consider purchasing or leasing another BEV as their next vehicle.
“EV market share has declined sharply following the discontinuation of the federal tax credit program in September 2025, but that dip belies steadily growing customer satisfaction among owners of new EVs,” said Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at JD Power. “Improvements in battery technology, charging infrastructure and overall vehicle performance have driven customer satisfaction to its highest level ever. What’s more, the vast majority of current EV owners say they will consider purchasing another EV for their next vehicle, regardless of whether they benefited from the now-expired federal tax credit.”
The study said public charging satisfaction reached record levels. Availability of public charging shows the greatest improvement in both premium and mass market BEV segments. Satisfaction scores among premium BEV owners rose to 652 on a 1,000 point scale, while mass market owners scored 511. That represents year over year gains of 101 and 115 points, respectively. Continued expansion of public charging infrastructure have significantly improved sentiment, particularly among mass market owners.
Premium BEVs demonstrate stronger quality gains. Total problems per 100 vehicles improved across both segments, with premium BEVs improving by 15.9 PP100 to 75.0 PP100, the best quality performance recorded for that segment in the current study. Improvements were driven by fewer interior squeaks and rattles, reduced driver assistance issues, and fewer reports of excessive exterior noise. Mass market BEVs recorded 92.2 PP100.
BEVs continue to outperform plug in hybrids in satisfaction. Overall satisfaction remains higher for BEV owners in both premium and mass market categories, scoring 786 and 727, respectively. These scores exceed comparable plug in hybrid electric vehicle owners, especially regarding cost of ownership. Premium BEVs outperform premium PHEVs by 114 points in ownership cost satisfaction, while mass market BEVs lead by 117 points. Although PHEVs offer improved battery performance over traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, they retain engine maintenance requirements that BEVs avoid entirely.
The study was conducted in collaboration with PlugShare, a leading EV driver app and research firm. It benchmarks satisfaction across critical factors shaping the total EV ownership experience for both BEVs and PHEVs. The 2026 study surveyed 5,741 owners of 2025 and 2026 model year BEVs and PHEVs between August and December 2025.
About J.D. Power
Founded in 1968, J.D. Power provides business critical data and analytics that support automotive decision making. The company delivers proprietary data, advanced analytics and industry expertise to original equipment manufacturers, retailers, lenders, insurers and other partners to strengthen performance and customer engagement.
