In many two-car households, the EV becomes the main car once it arrives. Driver surveys also show that many owners no longer plug in every day.
Three out of four US households with an EV and another type of car use the EV more. That finding comes from Plug In America’s 2026 driver survey, where about 2,000 respondents had both. According to the full report, 60.8 per cent drive the EV “much more” often. Just 2.1 per cent said the same about their petrol, diesel or conventional hybrid car.
How far does this pattern reach?
Zapmap’s UK evidence points the same way, although it’s older. Its 2022 survey included more than 1,300 drivers who also ran a petrol or diesel car. They took the EV for 85 per cent of local trips and 71 per cent of commutes. Even on journeys over 100 miles, 67 per cent stuck with electric.
Norwegian owners made a similar shift early. The Norwegian EV Association’s 2015 survey found that an EV replaced 82 per cent of a petrol or diesel car’s use. Owners kept the second car mainly for occasional long trips.
Roland Berger’s EV Charging Index 2025, which polled 12,000 people in 33 markets, gives a wider view of everyday use. It found that 73 per cent of EV users drive at least four days a week.
Why does the EV win the daily run?
Plug In America’s drivers point to running costs and convenience. For example, 94.8 per cent say their EV is cheaper to fuel than a petrol car. In addition, 87.8 per cent find it more convenient for daily driving.
Owners in LCP Delta’s 2025 survey of ten European countries gave similar reasons. For instance, 41 per cent bought an EV to save on fuel, while 26 per cent preferred home charging to visiting a petrol station.
Solera cap hpi’s mileage records add some support. The company says the average UK EV covered 8,740 miles a year by January 2025. That was 444 miles more than the average petrol car.
However, an earlier US study found the opposite. Researchers at George Washington University studied used-car odometers from 2016 to 2022. Electric cars covered 7,165 miles a year, against 11,642 for petrol cars. The team suggested that multi-car households may spread their miles across vehicles. Battery analyst Recurrent has argued that older, shorter-range EVs weighed on that result.
How often do EV drivers really charge?
Plug In America found that 31.1 per cent of drivers with home charging plug in there daily. By contrast, the most common routine, at 41 per cent, is a few days a week. Its report credits batteries that can often cover several days of driving.
In Norway, a peer-reviewed survey of 1,005 battery EV drivers put about a quarter in a group it called “daily convenient chargers”. However, another 37 per cent usually charged two or three times a week or less.
Does the habit work without a driveway?
Plug In America’s sample limits how far its results travel. It recruited through its mailing list, EV clubs, partners and social media. It also says its respondents tend to be older, male and white. In addition, 93.9 per cent have a dedicated home charger.
Drivers in the UK and China rely less on home charging. For instance, Zapmap estimates that about 20 per cent of UK EV drivers have no home charger. Meanwhile, drivers in China do about 40 per cent of their charging at home, according to Roland Berger. The figure is 50 per cent in Europe and 55 per cent in North America.
For drivers without a home charger, public sites become part of the weekly routine. Among 155 such Plug In America respondents, 36.2 per cent use public Level 2 chargers weekly. That group is small, so the figure offers only a rough guide.
Is the petrol car on its way out?
UK leasing company Zenith suggests many households still keep one for distance. It reported in 2024 that 51 per cent of its EV drivers had a combustion car for longer trips. Of those, 73 per cent had no plan to give it up.
Range still concerns 27.5 per cent of Plug In America’s drivers after buying, down from 70.1 per cent before. Norway’s 2026 Elbilisten survey drew nearly 15,000 responses. There, 26 per cent named range as a drawback, while 35 per cent named no drawbacks at all.
Still, LCP Delta found that 60 per cent of European EV owners wouldn’t buy a petrol or diesel car again. Similarly, among Plug In America’s drivers replacing their EV today, 0.5 per cent would choose one.
