Electric car drivers versus combustion engine owners: they are so different

Electric car drivers are often eco-friendly people who pay extremely close attention to the environment – that’s one of the many clichés about the supposedly typical electric car owner. But it is not that simple, according to research commissioned by car manufacturer Kia from market research institute YouGov. The result: In Germany, drivers of electric cars are actually more environmentally conscious than drivers of non-electric cars in many areas – but not always.

Sustainability is more central

The research shows that drivers of electric cars often choose sustainable products in their daily lives. When it comes to cleaning products and detergents, they pay more attention to whether the ingredients are biodegradable, they detect microplastics when purchasing cosmetic products (68 percent ‘always’ or ‘occasionally’) and they buy used products more often than drivers of combustion engines – apart from the infamous second-hand buyers, who are equally common in both groups surveyed (11 percent). In addition, 74 percent of electric motorists surveyed stated that they use biodegradable detergents. Among drivers with a combustion engine, this share is only 51 percent.

37 percent of German electric car owners have a subscription to local public transport, while only 20 percent of combustion engine drivers have a subscription.

Are electric motorists more often vegetarian? Are you joking? Are you serious?

But there are also areas in which both groups perform similarly. Especially when it comes to meat consumption, electric motorists hardly differ from non-electric motorists: for almost two-thirds meat is an important part of their diet. There is also agreement between both driving groups when it comes to avoiding plastic waste: 87 percent of electric drivers and 88 percent of combustion engine drivers consider this “very important” or “somewhat important”.

It is striking that drivers of electric cars fly more often and prefer to buy products made from real animal leather than owners of cars with combustion engines. 34 percent of Stromer drivers “very often” or “somewhat” buy products with animal leather. Among motorists with a traditional combustion engine, this is only 11 percent. Furthermore, 63 percent of e-car owners said they had flown at least once in the past 12 months – while only 32 percent of non-e-drivers said so.

E-motorists are richer

These two points point to an important fact: because of their battery technology, electric cars are significantly more expensive than comparable combustion models, and their owners can often afford a little more. Also more expensive because sustainable products. The research also shows this: the household income of e-car drivers is significantly higher than that of non-e-car owners.