US EV Adoption Rebounds: Range Anxiety Fades, but Affordability Remains the Biggest Hurdle

As battery capacities continue rising, US consumers' range anxiety about battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) is rapidly receding. A McKinsey consumer survey released on July 14, 2026, reveals that only 18% of US respondents cite 'insufficient range' as a primary barrier to switching to EVs — down sharply from 44% in 2023. This concern has dropped from the second-largest purchasing obstacle to seventh place.

The survey notes that the average battery capacity of BEVs sold in the US reached 99 kWh in 2025 — up more than 50% since 2019 — and most newly launched EVs now exceed 300 miles (≈483 km) of range. "Average vehicle range has increased significantly, and this data is highly transparent and readily accessible to consumers," said Philipp Kampshoff, Senior Partner at McKinsey.

Meanwhile, the share of US consumers intending to choose a BEV as their next vehicle rose to 17%, up from 11% in 2023; those who say they will "never buy an EV" declined from 34% to 30%. Still, this level of intent lags well behind other major markets: China (37%), Germany (31%), and Japan (10%).

What now constrains broader US EV adoption is shifting toward cost and infrastructure gaps. The survey identifies 'inability to charge at home' as the top barrier in 2026, cited by 34% of respondents, with high price (32%) a close second. Concerns over battery longevity, public charging convenience, and reliability/safety rank jointly third. Kampshoff observed: "Charging anxiety has effectively replaced range anxiety as today's most prominent adoption hurdle."

Although the public charging network continues expanding, infrastructure build-out lags noticeably behind improvements in user perception. Notably, satisfaction among existing EV owners remains extremely high: 70% explicitly plan to buy another BEV next, 19% favor plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and only 8% intend to return to internal-combustion-engine (ICE) vehicles.

Registration data further confirms signs of recovery. According to Mobility Global, 98,684 BEVs were registered as new vehicles in the US in May 2026 — a slight year-on-year decline of 0.7%. That compares favorably with steep drops earlier this year (−41% in January, −37% in February, −25% in March). BEVs accounted for 7% of total light-vehicle sales that month — slightly below last year's 7.1%, but notably higher than February's 4.8% and March's 6.2%.