New Study Says Electric Vehicle Owners Drive More—A Study Last Year Said the Opposite

Do electric vehicle owners drive more or less than the average driver? Check out two conflicting studies that took place within a year of each other.
Written by Elaine Duvet
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
The average
electric vehicle
is driven about 5,300 miles a year. Is that more or less than the average gas-powered driver? Find out if EV drivers put more miles on their cars, and if what country you live in matters.
Jerry
, the
car ownership super app
, investigates two conflicting studies about electric vehicle usage. 

Is your electric vehicle just sitting at home?

A 2021 study from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) found that electric vehicle drivers put 50% fewer miles on their cars than the average driver of a gas-powered car. The results were compiled using increased home energy usage data for California homes with EVs.
However, the EV drivers were not asked how many miles they drive, and the researchers failed to investigate odometer readings through service records. Apparently, these numbers can only be found inside the vehicles themselves, and automakers keep charging data private.   
As a workaround, researchers from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and the University of Chicago collected their own data by sampling about 10% of the residential electricity meters from Pacific Gas & Electric. 
57,290 registered electric vehicles were checked to see how much extra energy was used once they were purchased. 0.12 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per hour or 2.9 kilowatt-hours each day was the official result. The California Air Resources Board found that at least 85% of electric vehicle charging happens at home. 
The study concluded that EV owners don’t clock as many miles as internal-combustion vehicles. Some authors believe this raises questions about EVs replacing various trips that rely on gas, others fear that electric vehicles may not be as good of a substitute for gas-powered cars as they thought. 
Despite not hitting the road as much as you’d think, EV owners tend to be very satisfied with their expensive eco-friendly vehicles—96% of electric vehicle owners are likely to purchase another EV as their next car, according to a new Plug In America (PIA) survey. 
The highest consideration for electric vehicle consumers is the federal tax credit.  The second-highest is the ability to conveniently charge their car at home, and for an affordable price. 
The PIA survey also found that while 90% of EV owners recharge at home, more and more Americans are getting comfortable using public charging stations. And even if you don’t have a Tesla, you can now use the automaker's top-notch Supercharger network
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A country trailblazing EVs

This may not be the summer you and your buddies take an epic cross-country road trip, but a new study from
Kelley Blue Book (KBB)
found that EV owners drive more than any other car owners. Maybe it’s because this group hasn’t been affected by sky-high gas prices.
Or maybe it’s because this study comes from Norway, a country ahead of the curve in switching from gas-powered cars to EVs. According to KBB, 5.6% of American vehicle purchases were electric in the second quarter of 2022. Researchers believe that 5% is a vital tipping point and that once a country passes the mark, EV adoption ramps up. 
And the more Americans are exposed to EVs, the more likely they are to choose one for their next purchase. 
Statistics Norway, a Norwegian government entity, discovered that owners of gasoline- or diesel-powered cars drive less than electric vehicle owners. Hybrid owners drove almost as much as those who owned EVs. 
Since the average gallon of gas in Norway is $9.03, KBB believes that if it costs less to drive, we’ll do it more often. Also, the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that the more driving costs, the less we do it. 
As of now, less than 3% of American drivers own an electric vehicle. Even as the price of gas begins to drop, hopefully Americans will be inspired by the eco-friendly Norwegian way of life.

Insuring your electric car

Whether you’re road tripping to all the national parks, or just visiting the local pool, make sure you've got the best coverage for your electric vehicle this summer. 
If you’re curious about your coverage, check out the
Jerry
app. The savings keep coming even after Jerry finds you great insurance at the lowest price. Before every policy renewal period, you’ll be presented with new competitive quotes, which means you’ll always have the best coverage at the best price. 
If you want to switch policies, it’s all good! Jerry can help cancel your old policy. Users save $800+ a year with Jerry.
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