A lot of first EVs were bought for the life someone had at the time: a commute, a compact sedan, maybe no kids yet. A few years later, that life has a toddler, a dog, and a weekend trailer. When the brand they love doesn't make an electric vehicle that fits the new life, they don't stop being loyal to the idea of EVs. They just buy what fits.
Shoppers rarely abandon a powertrain. They outgrow the options.
Mobility Global Data: EV-to-Gas Switching Rises 15.9%
Through June 2026, 52,154 US EV households returned to the market and bought a gasoline vehicle, excluding hybrids and plug-ins. That's up 15.9% from a year earlier, according to Mobility Global data reported by Car Dealership Guy.
Among non-Tesla EV households returning to market:
Switched to gas: 38.9% → 44.4%
Bought another EV: 43.8% → 37.2%
Moved to a hybrid: 17.3% → 18.4%
Mobility Global points to availability as the driver. Limited choices in a shopper's preferred segment, body style, price range, or brand can push them away from an EV, and gas vehicles still offer the widest range of models, trims, and prices.
The brand data backs that up. Volkswagen, Ram, and Acura over-indexed in EV-to-gas conquests, while Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Kia under-indexed.
"Capturing them requires more than a strong EV lineup. Brands also need gasoline and hybrid options in the segments and at the price points these consumers are looking for." Mobility Global
How Dealers Can Keep EV Owners Loyal When They Switch Powertrains
This is a loyalty gap, and it's going to keep widening as lineups shift. Some of the vehicles EV owners might have grown into, like the F-150 Lightning, are disappearing from showrooms.
Your returning EV customers are already in your CRM. Reach out before their next purchase, ask what's changed in their lives, and have an answer ready, even if that answer is a hybrid, a gas model, or a used EV that fits the budget better than anything new. The customer who leaves your brand over a missing body style is the hardest one to win back.
The best way to keep an EV owner is to know their next life stage before they do.
We break it all down on today's episode of the Automotive State of the Union.
