Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular, but a new study by iSeeCars reveals that the average owner of a three-year-old EV in America drives around 9,059 miles (14,579 km) in a year, which is over 3,000 miles (4,828 km) or 29 percent less than the average internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle owner drives in a year. Even the owners of the most driven three-year-old EVs on the road today drive less than the 12,758 miles (20,532 km) completed by the average owner of a three-year-old ICE vehicle.

The top four EVs by average distance traveled annually are all from Tesla, with its large SUV, the Model X, topping the list at 10,378 miles (16,702 km) per year. “Tesla drivers come the closest to matching the driving behavior of traditional car owners,” said Karl Brauer, iSeeCars’ executive analyst. “Without Tesla, the average miles per year for EV drivers would drop from 9,059 (14,579 km) to 6,719 (10,813 km).”

Reasons for Discrepancy

There are likely a number of reasons for this discrepancy, including the comparatively small number of EV owners, their position as a second vehicle, and the novelty of the technology. However, iSeeCars points out that range is likely having a big impact on these results. To start with, the number of miles a vehicle drives in a year is strongly correlated to how far it can go per charge.

“Looking at 3-year-old electric cars, we see EV owners willing to drive an additional 23 miles per year for every additional mile of range their vehicle offers,” said Brauer. “That means EVs, on average, need an additional 161 miles (259 km) of range to get them to the 12,578-mile (20,532 km) annual driving distance we see from traditional, gasoline-powered vehicles.”

Range Anxiety

Intriguingly, the connection between driving range and miles driven per year doesn’t just hold for EVs. The average ICE vehicle gets 24.7 MPG, according to the EPA, and has an 18 gallon fuel tank. That means that it can go around 444 miles (715 km) per tank, or 165 miles (265 km) farther than an EV. So, in order for EV drivers to go as far as ICE drivers in a year, manufacturers would have to make them go as far per charge as ICE vehicles go per tank.

This adds a fascinating shade of nuance to the problem of range anxiety, and one that may be expensive to account for. The study found that based on the prices of vehicles on the market, excluding the Porsche Taycan because of its pricing (at 2.6 times the average EV price), consumers are paying an additional $10,000 to get an extra 26.5 miles of battery range. This means that an EV with 440 miles (708 km) of range would cost an estimated $60,000 more than today’s average EV, increasing their price to an unfeasible $105,147.

Future of EVs

However, automakers like GM and Stellantis promise that electric vehicles with those kinds of ranges will be on the market soon, meaning that the average miles driven per EV may start creeping up in years to come.

Most Driven 3-Year Old EVs in Top 50 Metro Areas

The study also revealed the most driven three-year-old EVs in the top 50 metro areas in America. The Tesla Model X was the most driven EV in 14 of the 50 metro areas, followed by the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y, which were the most driven EVs in 5 and 4 metro areas, respectively. The Hyundai Ioniq Electric, Chevrolet Bolt EV, and Tesla Model S were the most driven EVs in 2 metro areas each, while the Audi e-tron Sportback, Jaguar I-PACE, Kia Niro EV, Nissan LEAF, Porsche Taycan, and Hyundai Kona Electric were the most driven EVs in 1 metro area each.

Conclusion

EVs are becoming more popular, but the average miles driven per year for EVs is still significantly lower than that of ICE vehicles. Range is likely having a big impact on these results, with EV owners willing to drive an additional 23 miles per year for every additional mile of range their vehicle offers. However, automakers are promising electric vehicles with longer ranges will be on the market soon, which may increase the average miles driven per EV in years to come.