The Data Is In: EV Drivers Aren’t Going Anywhere — And Neither Should Your Charging Stations

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Every year, there’s a new headline predicting the end of the EV boom. And every year, the people who actually drive electric vehicles tell a very different story.

Plug In America just released its 2026 Annual EV Driver Survey — more than 4,200 responses collected in the months right after federal EV tax credits expired. If there was ever a moment for EV enthusiasm to crack, this was it: no tax credit, rising gas prices, and a wave of negative press about slowing EV sales.

Instead, the survey found the opposite. EV drivers are more loyal, more satisfied, and more committed to going electric than ever before. For property owners, employers, and municipalities weighing whether to keep investing in EV charging, the data makes the case better than we ever could.

EV drivers love their vehicles — and they’re not switching back

The single biggest finding in this year’s survey: 94.3% of EV drivers say it’s likely or very likely their next vehicle will be electric, up from 91.8% last year and just under 90% in 2024. That’s growing drivetrain loyalty, not the drop-off the headlines suggested.

Even more telling, when respondents were asked what they’d buy today if they had to replace their EV right now, 89.8% said they’d choose another EV — with no tax credit on the table. That’s not a subsidy-driven decision. That’s genuine satisfaction.

And satisfaction runs deep across the board:

• 96.8% feel safe driving their EV
• 95.8% say their EV is easier to maintain than a gas car
• 95% say their EV is convenient
• 91% say they save money by driving electric

Direct experience is what builds confidence — and that’s where charging access comes in

Here’s the pattern that matters most for anyone deciding whether to install charging: EV drivers’ concerns drop dramatically once they actually own one. Concern about battery range fell from 70.1% pre-purchase to 27.5% post-purchase. Concern about public charging availability dropped from 50.8% to 35.4%. The single biggest driver of EV confidence isn’t marketing — it’s hands-on experience with a reliable charging network.

That’s the core of what Lynkwell exists to deliver. Every XLynk™ charger we install and every session managed through the ViaLynk™ network is a chance to turn a hesitant driver into a loyal one — or to remove the one barrier still holding back a driver who wants to go electric but isn’t sure charging will be there when they need it.

The access gap is real, and it’s an opportunity for site hosts

Not everyone charges the way EV drivers do today. While 93.9% of respondents have a dedicated home charger, that number drops sharply for renters and multifamily residents — and 66% of all respondents said they don’t have a public Level 2 charger within walking distance of home. That gap is even more pronounced for younger drivers and multifamily residents, who are more likely to rent and less likely to have guaranteed home charging access.

Yet the drivers who lack home charging are still overwhelmingly bullish on EVs: 86.6% of respondents without home charging access say their next vehicle will still be electric. They just need somewhere reliable to plug in — at their apartment community, their workplace, or their local retail center.

This is exactly the case Lynkwell makes to multifamily housing, commercial real estate, and municipal partners every day: charging infrastructure isn’t a nice-to-have amenity anymore. It’s the deciding factor for a growing population of renters and residents who want to drive electric but need the built environment to catch up.

Charging habits favor site hosts who think beyond “just” fast charging

One of the more actionable findings for property owners: most EV drivers don’t need to charge every day. Only 31% charge daily; 41% charge a few days a week, and nearly a quarter charge just weekly. Today’s batteries comfortably cover several days of typical driving on a single charge.

That’s good news for any site host worried about charger utilization or grid capacity. A well-placed bank of Level 2 chargers — like Lynkwell’s XLynk — doesn’t need to serve every vehicle every day to deliver real value. It needs to be there consistently, a few times a week, when residents or tenants need it.

It’s also worth noting that 88.7% of EV drivers are open to adjusting when they charge in exchange for a discount — an enormous opportunity for site hosts and utilities alike to use smart charging and time-of-use programs to manage load, something the ViaLynk network’s software-solution is built to support.

The bottom line for site hosts

The federal tax credit is gone. Gas prices are volatile. And EV sales dipped in early 2026 as the market adjusted. None of that changed what actual EV drivers think of their vehicles or their intent to keep driving electric — because none of that changes the real-world experience of owning an EV, which remains overwhelmingly positive.

What continues to shape that experience — and what site hosts have direct control over — is charging access. The survey is clear: the fastest way to build EV confidence is to put a reliable charger somewhere a driver can actually use it. Every property that adds charging isn’t just installing equipment; it’s removing the single biggest barrier standing between a curious driver and a converted one.

For multifamily communities, commercial properties, and municipalities still weighing the investment, the message from EV drivers themselves couldn’t be clearer: they’re loyal, they’re satisfied, and they’re looking for more places to plug in. Now is the time to keep building.

Ready to explore what EV charging infrastructure could look like at your property? Reach out to the Lynkwell team to talk about XLynk chargers, the ViaLynk network, and how our experts can help you manage it all.

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Sources: Plug In America, 2026 Annual EV Driver Survey (https://pluginamerica.org/survey/2026-ev-driver-survey/)