The report, Fixing America’s Partisan Divide Over EVs: Tracking Three Years of Slow Progress, released by the nonprofit group EVs for All America, draws on three years of national polling of auto consumers. Its conclusion is a mixed one: the political edge that once sharply divided electric vehicles is dulling, but the retreat of federal subsidies and broader economic fears are slowing the pace of adoption.
“Our latest national survey has good and bad news for EVs,” said Mike Murphy, the group’s founder and chief executive. “The fierce partisan polarization is declining, but the removal of federal EV subsidies remains a cooling factor for sales in the short term.”
The data show a notable thaw on the right. Republican hostility toward electric vehicles has fallen by 20 percentage points over the past three years, and fewer GOP voters now say that EVs are “for people who see the world differently,” a sign that what was once a cultural marker is becoming a more conventional consumer choice.
Yet politics has hardly disappeared from the showroom floor. The survey found that President Trump faces skepticism among car buyers about his support for the domestic auto industry: only 28 percent of auto consumers in households earning $50,000 or more described him as a “friend of the U.S. auto industry.” The finding is significant, as those households account for more than 80 percent of the new- and used-car market and about two-thirds of the electorate in a presidential year.
Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, remains a deeply polarizing figure. Republicans tend to view him favorably, a dynamic that has helped soften conservative resistance to electric vehicles. Democrats, by contrast, hold overwhelmingly negative views of him—86 percent in the survey—creating what the report calls a serious branding challenge for Tesla.
Economic and national-security concerns also weigh heavily, especially among Republicans. Large majorities fear that the loss of auto manufacturing jobs to China threatens the country’s industrial base and its security; 88 percent say they worry at least somewhat, and 53 percent say they worry a great deal.
Federal policy has become another headwind. About half of auto consumers say the end of federal EV incentives makes them less likely to buy or lease an electric vehicle. Still, the report notes that Germany, after seeing sales drop when its subsidies expired, experienced a strong rebound over the following two years.
Beyond Washington, the study points to practical barriers and opportunities closer to home. For millions of Americans who live in apartment buildings or condominiums, access to charging is decisive. Sixty-five percent of condo owners and 70 percent of apartment renters said they would be more inclined to buy or lease an EV if their buildings offered overnight Level 2 charging in parking areas.
The surveys also suggest that how electric vehicles are marketed may matter as much as how they are subsidized. Voters across party lines responded more positively to messages that emphasized performance—fast acceleration, quiet rides, and freedom from the gas pump—than to appeals centered on climate or environmentalism.
Age, too, is a dividing line. Consumers under 45 are far more open to electric vehicles than their elders, a trend that is likely to grow as younger buyers gain purchasing power. More troubling for American automakers, the youngest consumers are also more willing to consider Chinese-made cars, while those over 55 remain strongly opposed.
“The path to breaking down the partisan EV divide is clear in the data,” Mr. Murphy said. “It’s about focusing on great vehicle performance and smart state-level policy, especially since federal support is being pulled back.”
That context is especially pointed as Mr. Trump arrives in Detroit to speak about jobs and American manufacturing. The new research, Mr. Murphy argued, suggests that electric vehicles should be seen less as a cultural battleground and more as a strategic industry. “EVs are an important path to creating more American auto jobs and securing our manufacturing future,” he said. “Turning them into a culture war only helps China.”
The report is based on annual surveys of 600 registered voters in households earning $50,000 or more, conducted each November from 2023 through 2025, along with additional polling of Republicans nationwide and California residents in multifamily housing. Together, the findings paint a portrait of a country inching—sometimes uneasily—toward an electric future.