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Survey rewind: how much pain at the pump will it take to switch to EV?
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- DeepHorus
An Electrek survey published April 19, 2026, asked how high gasoline and diesel prices would have to rise before committed combustion-engine drivers would consider a plug-in car. More than 2,800 readers responded over seven days. The poll highlights the economic and psychological barriers facing EV adoption.
Almost half of respondents said no fuel price would change some drivers’ minds, even above $10 per gallon. A September 26, 2026 update cited BP Ultimate 93-octane gasoline at $7.19 a gallon in Chicago. It revisited a scenario that had seemed remote in April.
One reader in the Netherlands priced petrol at €2.56 per liter, equivalent to $11.34 per gallon, and electricity at about $0.30 per kilowatt-hour, or zero with home solar. The reader’s plug-in hybrid achieved 50 mpg, or 3.2 miles per kilowatt-hour, and required about 16 kilowatt-hours for a gallon-equivalent. That charge would cost roughly $4.80.
Respondents also argued that replacing a working car may matter more than pump pain. One reader planned to retain a paid-off vehicle even if monthly fuel costs rose from $90 to $200, then buy a used EV when reliability deteriorated. High vehicle costs can therefore delay adoption.
Other readers said the decisive issue is whether consumers expect high gasoline prices to persist, not whether they briefly reach a set level. They also questioned whether rising electricity rates will erode EV savings. Because cars can last 20 years, buyers may wait in anticipation of lower fuel prices.
The findings suggest that expensive fuel can encourage interest in plug-in cars without converting every internal-combustion holdout. Preferences matter, but replacement timing, electricity costs and confidence in future prices shape the decision. Wider adoption will depend on fuel prices staying high relative to charging costs and on existing vehicles eventually becoming too unreliable to keep.
