Republicans Are Now Even Less Likely To Buy An EV Since They Still Don’t See Climate Change As An Issue

Republicans were never super into electric vehicles, and, as the country has become more and more divided between right and wrong, the number of them who’d even consider buying or leasing an EV has shrunk considerably. In a new survey, just 52% of Republicans say they were even open to the idea of buying or leasing an EV — a 5% drop from 2024. At the same time, 84% of Democrats say the same thing, and that’s a 3% increase.

Identity politics is surely a big reason why many Republicans aren’t into EVs. I’m sure they look at them as woke or whatever dumb word they want to steal from other people, but the big divide comes from the simple fact that most Republicans aren’t onboard with the whole climate change thing, according to Automotive News. Over 90% of Democrats in the survey, carried out by EVs for All America, said they agreed that climate change is a serious problem that requires action. On the flip side, just 32% of Republicans felt the same way. When you add in the fact that many automakers decided to market their EVs as an environmentally conscious option, Republicans saw it as pointless because — in their minds — there is no need to be conscious about the environment. It turns what should just be a car with an alternative powertrain into a political statement.

Nearly half of the Republicans surveyed had unfavorable views of EV brands when they were surveyed in November. That’s compared to 14% of Democrats and 22% of Independents who felt similarly.

Right now, Republicans make up about 40% of the new-and used-vehicle market, so unless they get on board in much bigger numbers, widespread EV adoption in the U.S. is going to be a big ask. Mike Murphy, founder and CEO of EVs for All America, said that if Republicans continue to think EVs are some sort of “liberal plot,” then the automobile industry is never going to actually hit electrification goals.

The survey —which talked to 600 registered voters in households earning $50,000 or more annually, representing over 80% of the U.S. vehicle market — found a hell of a lot of weird stuff when talking to Republicans, Democrats and Independents. There was plenty they weren’t aligned on, but there were also some things where all sides saw pretty eye-to-eye, Auto News reports. It should be noted that EVs for All America’s report includes research from an October 2024 survey of 800 registered Republicans and an October 2025 survey of 400 California condo and apartment residents.

EVs are by far the most controversial vehicle subject, the report says. German cars, though, everyone is on board similarly. And, there’s a slight division when it comes to Asian carmakers.

Here are some other findings from the survey, according to Automotive News:

• In November 2025, 76 percent of Democrats surveyed said they agreed with the statement “EVs are the future and one day I’ll probably drive one,” a 6 percentage point decline from a year earlier. Only 43 percent of Republicans said the same, up 2 percentage points during the same time period.
• Republicans’ perception of EVs has improved; when asked what their friends or relatives would think if they purchased an EV, 28 percent of those surveyed in November said they would consider it a smart move, up 9 percentage points year over year. Half of all Democrats surveyed said their friends and relatives would consider it a smart move, down 18 percentage points in the same time period.
• Just 28 percent of all those surveyed in November 2025 said President Donald Trump is a “friend of the U.S. auto industry,” while 36 percent said he is a foe.
• Democrats and Republicans differ on their opinions of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. In response to the statement “Elon Musk is a good ambassador for EV sales,” 86 percent of Democrats surveyed in November said they disagreed, compared with 33 percent of Republicans.
• The favorable opinion of Tesla dropped 16 percentage points to 42 percent from 2023 to 2025. Among those who were seriously interested in buying an EV in the coming year, 46 percent of those surveyed in November 2025 expressed unfavorable opinions of Tesla.

The survey also shows how bad Trump’s decision to kill the $7,500 EV tax credit was for the industry. Nearly half of everyone surveyed in November 2025 said that the incentives being axed make them less likely to buy or lease an EV.

The country is, to put it mildly, quite divided right now, and it would seem that EVs are not escaping that fact. Unless Republicans get on board with them, it’s hard to see the industry ever truly catching on the way most automakers would like it to.