Study: Electric Car Shoppers Younger & Wealthier Than Hybrid Shoppers

At first glance, you might think that hybrid and electric car shoppers would be cut from the same cloth, demographically speaking. But a new study from Experian Automotive suggests that the two are, in fact, quite different.

MUST SEE: 50 Years Of The Ford Mustang: Video

To reach that conclusion, Experian analyzed data from electric and hybrid car purchases during the 2013 calendar year. Here are some of the key findings:

• Roughly 45 percent of all hybrid buyers were 56 or older, but only 26 percent of electric car buyers fell into that age range.

• In fact, 55 percent of those who purchased or leased electric vehicles were between 36 and 55 years old.

• Just 12 percent of hybrid car buyers reported household incomes of $175,000 or more. Among electric car buyers, that figure was a significantly higher 21 percent.

• Hybrids make up 98 percent of America's alternative-powered vehicles, but the segment is growing at a much slower pace than electric cars. In 2013, hybrid sales rose 19 percent above 2012, but electric car sales surged a whopping 245 percent.

• Asian automakers dominate the hybrid segment: 2013's top-sellers were the Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry, Honda Civic, Toyota Highlander, with the Ford Fusion coming in at #5.

• The electric car market is more diverse: 2013's big winners were the Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, Ford Focus, FIAT 500e, and Mitsubishi i-MiEV.