EVs are winning over largely conservative areas as buyers look to save money
At least Democrats and Republicans are beginning to agree on one thing – EVs can save you money (and the environment). Although EVs are often associated with liberal-leaning voters, more and more conservative buyers are going electric to save money on gas and experience the latest performance and technology.
Electric vehicles hit a record 7.2% share of new vehicle sales in the first quarter, with several new, longer-range models hitting the market, according to Cox Automotive.
Across the nation, counties with the highest EV adoption rate have predominantly been higher-income, tech-focused liberal areas. However, according to the Washington Post, this is beginning to change.
In Collin County, Texas, where Donald Trump won over 5% more votes in the 2020 election, the EV market share was ahead of the national average at 8.7% last year and is expanding quickly.
Its neighboring county, Denton, which is also primarily Republican, saw EV sales grow to 7.3%, surpassing the national average of around 6.2% last year.
Some buyers near Plano mention protecting the climate as the reason they went electric, but most were intrigued by EVs for their performance, high-tech features, and style.
Kate Allen, a Frisco resident and property manager, echoed why many buyers are making the switch – to save money on gas. Allen said:
I used to drive a Mercedes-Benz SUV, and I went to go fill up my gas tank, and it was over $4 for premium gas. So I went the very next day, and I traded it in for an electric vehicle.
She also said that when she first bought her electric car, it was the only one parked at the residential buildings she owns. Now, there are about half a dozen. Allen is not the only one who feels this way, either.
Tony Federico, a former Marine who votes Republican, bought a Tesla Model 3 in 2018, saying he was attracted to the EV’s cool tech and “how this is going to help my pocketbook.” The EV surge in largely conservative areas is happening in several places around the US.
EVs popping up in predominantly conservative areas
Clusters of EVs are popping up in traditionally red-voting areas. Washington Post highlights St Johns County, Florida (home to St Augustine), Hamilton County, Indiana (north of Indianapolis), Union County, North Carolina (southeast of Charlotte), Monmouth County, New Jersey (bordering the ocean), and Kern County, California, among areas that voted for Trump in 2020 and saw EV adoption higher than the national average.
Although California is known for leading the nation in EV sales by a wide margin, Florida and Texas, two reliably conservative states, took second and third in 2021, according to the US Department of Energy.
In addition to featuring the latest tech and performance, EVs also offer more convenience. Buyers – both liberal and conservative – are realizing they can charge their cars at home and no longer need the unnecessary gas trips, oil changes, and maintenance required with ICE vehicles.
Red states are also drawing significant investments from EV and battery makers, stemming from the Inflation Reduction Act’s incentives.
Companies have announced over $210 billion in US EV and battery manufacturing investments, with roughly 90% of it going to the traditional automotive belt that spans from the Midwest to the Southeast.
Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Michigan, Indiana, Kansas, and Ohio are slated to see new jobs stemming from these investments.
Other than Georgia – which has drawn the most investment, including from Hyundai’s first dedicated EV plant – and Michigan, the other states voted red in the 2020 election.
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New EVs got a little more expensive in April, and consumers saw fewer deals than before, according to new estimates from Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book.
In April, the average transaction price (ATP) for a new EV climbed to $59,255. That’s up 3.7% from the same time last year, and slightly higher, by 0.2%, than in March. Kelley Blue Book even revised March’s average price downward to $59,132.
Erin Keating, executive analyst at Cox Automotive, noted that “Ever since President Trump announced auto tariffs 47 days ago, the cost of new cars has been steadily climbing.”
At the same time, incentives took another dip. They made up just 11.6% of the average EV transaction price in April, down from 13.9% when they peaked in November 2024. This marks the second month in a row that EV incentives have declined.
Tesla led the way in May, selling more than 45,000 EVs – its best performance of the year so far. Most of those sales came from the updated Model Y, which continues to dominate the US EV market. Tesla’s average transaction price rose in April to $56,120, up both month over month and year over year.
Meanwhile, the Cybertruck, once the top-selling EV priced over $100,000, had an average sales price of $89,247 last month. But sales dropped below 2,000 units for the first time in a year, signaling a potential cool-off for the controversial pickup.
Overall, new EV sales in April were down nearly 6% from March, based on Kelley Blue Book’s early estimates. But year-to-date EV sales in 2025 are still up 5.4% compared to the same period in 2024.
Read more: Tesla Model 3 and Model Y prices rose higher in March as sales fell
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The EV3 is already one of the top-selling EVs in Europe and Korea, but when will Kia bring it to the US? After it was recently spotted testing on US streets, the Kia EV3 could finally make its North American debut soon. Here’s what we know.
When will the Kia EV3 make its North American debut?
Kia’s compact electric SUV was again the top-selling EV in Korea last month. It’s also currently among the best-selling electric cars in Europe.
Kia sold 27,761 EVs in Europe in the first quarter, up 17% from the previous record set in Q3 2023. The EV3 led the surge with 17,878 models sold, or 64% of Kia’s total electric vehicle sales in the region.
In March, the EV3 was also the best-selling retail electric car in the UK, driving Kia’s EVs to a record 21% share of its total sales. With the EV3 rolling out in other global markets, like Australia and New Zealand, when will it finally arrive in the US?
After the Kia EV3 was recently spotted testing on US streets, its North American debut could finally be coming up soon.
The new video from KindelAuto shows the 2026 Kia EV6 GT-Line trim, but with what appears to be the US-spec model. Despite the camo, you can see the EV3 has minor design changes, like added orange side reflectors, which are likely to meet regulations.
Although Kia has yet to confirm it, the EV3 could make its North American debut as early as later this year and launch in early 2026. Prices will be revealed closer to its debut, but the EV3 will likely start at around $35,000 to $40,000.
Kia’s smaller electric SUV starts at around 36,000 euros ($40,000) in Europe and roughly $30,700 in Korea (KRW 42.08 million).
In the meantime, those in North America will see Kia’s first electric sedan, the EV4, arrive next year. Kia confirmed the 2026 EV4 will have a built-in NACS port to access Tesla Superchargers and an estimated driving range of up to 330 miles. Prices are also expected to start at around $35,000 to $40,000.
Source: KindelAuto, TheKoreanCarBlog
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Less than a year after officially launching in the US, the 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron has received its safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). According to the German automaker, its compact luxury crossover has been awarded Top Safety Pick+ status—the highest possible rating from the IIHS.
The Q6 e-tron remains the newest edition to Audi’s long-running all-electric segment of sedans, GTs, and SUVs. We first caught wind of it back in March 2024 when Audi teased a shadowy image while promising the Q6 e-tron would “overtake expectations.”
The 2025 Q6 e-tron made its official debut last September. The lineup includes an RWD version that delivers the longest range (321 miles) of any Audi BEV. At that point, the Q6 e-tron had received a five-star safety rating from the Euro NCAP, but until today, we were still awaiting its rating from the IIHS.
Today, Audi confirmed that the 2025 Q6 e-tron is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ – the best you can get.
Audi Q6 e-tron wins Top Safety Pick+ amidst higher criteria
When announcing the award status from the IIHS, Audi pointed out that the US institute altered its Top Safety Pick+ criteria for 2025 models, making the top-tier award harder to achieve. This included a new focus on rear-passenger safety and a moderate overlap front collision test, which simulates a head-on collision, whereas the test vehicle strikes a vehicle of equal size and weight at 40 mph with 40% of the front widths of those vehicles overlapping.
The compact crossover achieved a “good” (the highest IIHS) rating on all tests, warranting the Top Safety Pick+ status. As such, the IIHS has deemed the Q6 e-tron one of the safest all-electric models on the road.
The 2025 Q6 e-tron starts at $63,800 in the US and is currently available in three trimlines and a Premium quattro powertrain configuration.
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