94% of EV owners won't go back to gas: CDK study
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- CDK Global released EV ownership research showing 94% of current EV owners say they will never go back to driving a gas vehicle, according to findings aired on Electrek's Quick Charge podcast.
- CDK's David Thomas walked through the data, which spans dealership interactions, daily driving habits, behavior, expectations, and satisfaction across different ownership scenarios.
- The CDK study leverages access to thousands of auto deals to map what drives today's EV buyers and where the auto industry must improve to meet their needs.
- A separate cited study found 96% of EV owners plan to stay electric, reinforcing the near-universal retention pattern CDK's research identified.
- EV sales recently hit their best month since federal tax credits ended, according to linked Electrek coverage, suggesting demand continues even without incentives.
- Honda drew sharp criticism after canceling its EVs and telling EV owners to buy a gas vehicle instead — a move that sits in stark contrast to CDK's retention findings.
Why it matters: CDK draws on thousands of auto deals to map what EV owners actually value and where automakers and dealers are falling short — intelligence that matters because the 94% retention figure signals the EV buyer base has largely crossed the gas-vs-electric threshold and is no longer shopping between the two.
