People who own electric vehicles in the United States are more satisfied with their cars than at any point in the past five years, according to a study from JD Power.
JD Power's 2026 EVX Ownership Study found that people who drive battery electric vehicles gave the highest approval ratings the study has recorded in its six-year run.
A company press release about the study also stated 96% of new BEV owners said they'd consider getting another electric car the next time they shop.
This comes even as EV sales have slipped after the federal EV tax credit went away in September 2025. A big driver of the satisfaction boost is that public charging is getting way better.
Scores for public charging access jumped 101 points for those with premium BEVs and 115 points for mass market BEV buyers from last year, measured out of 1,000 total points. More charging stations going online and wider access to Tesla's Supercharger network have made a real difference.
Quality scores are climbing, too. Premium BEVs saw problems drop by nearly 16 for every 100 cars compared to last year. The total landed at 75 per 100 cars, a new low for that category.
If you're weighing a fully electric car against a plug-in hybrid, the cost picture favors BEVs. BEV owners rated their ownership costs 114 to 117 points higher than plug-in hybrid owners, since all-electric cars skip the engine upkeep that hybrids still need.
The Tesla Model 3 took the top spot at 804 points, and the Ford Mustang Mach-E led the mass market category at 760.
"Improvements in battery technology, charging infrastructure and overall vehicle performance have driven customer satisfaction to its highest level ever," said Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at JD Power, in the company's press release.
"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," Gruber added.
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