Used-car broker's data show a growing number of us may be trading SUVs and pickups for EVs

The cost of new and used cars and trucks is rising, and so is the cost of owning and operating a vehicle. And with one purported benefit to electric vehicles being lower running costs, it only makes sense that at least a portion of people shopping for a new-to-them vehicle would be considering something battery powered. This being the case, a study from CarMax offers an interesting look into the habits of used-vehicle shoppers in America.

According to the latest numbers covering the span between September 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023, searches for electric cars tend to spike along with the price of a gallon of gas. No surprise there. CarMax says, "Search volume for terms containing 'electric' on CarMax.com have doubled since this time last year." Note, that this data doesn't represent the number of people looking at used electric cars, rather it's for those who are specifically typing the word "electric" into the search bar at CarMax. So while CarMax's percentage of searches for the word "electric" is currently below 5%, which is obviously a relatively small number overall, it's an indicator that interest in used electric vehicles is increasing.