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.
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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.