Is Your State Going EV? 10 States With Most Electric Cars Per Capita

Electric vehicles might be the future of transportation, but they’re a lot more popular in some states than others.

Only 16.84% of people have ever owned an electric car, according to a recent GOBankingRates survey. However, 50.33% of people say they’re at least somewhat likely to buy one in the next five years.

Despite that, even knowing how much gas money they’ll save, 66.5% of people would be willing to spend no more than $7,500 more on an EV over a similar gas-powered car.

Scott Kunes, chief operating officer at Kunes Auto & RV Group, a family-owned and operated dealership group with locations in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa, said he believes more affordable EVs are on the way.

“We’re already seeing that as several manufacturers are lowering EV prices and others are making more affordable models,” he said. “We’ll continue to see prices trend down moderately as demand continues to increase and manufacturing processes become more efficient.”

When it comes to EV adoption, he believes different regions should have different plans.

“What works for states like California won’t necessarily work for the rest of the country, where the average trip to the grocery store is longer, charging stations are sparser and temps are colder,” he said.

Indeed, different states currently have very different levels of EVs on the road. Here’s a look at the 10 states with the most electric vehicle registrations per 1,000 people in 2022.

• EV registrations: 9.80 per 1,000 people

In recent years, the popularity of electric vehicles has surged in the Garden State. There were just 2.58 EV registrations per 1,000 people in 2018, and now that number has nearly quadrupled.

The state held 3.29% of electric vehicle registrations in the entire U.S in 2021. This marks a 57.23% increase from 2020, further highlighting the swift adoption of EVs in the state. If growth continues at this pace, New Jersey could become a leader in the EV movement.

• EV registrations: 9.86 per 1,000 people

In 2018, there were just 2.29 EV registrations per 1,000 people in Arizona. This is more than four times the current number, which highlights the increasing demand for more eco-friendly vehicles in the state.

Arizona held 2.8% of all EV registrations in the U.S. in both 2020 and 2021. While the percentage is the same, there is actually a notable increase in registrations between the two years, rising from 28,770 in 2020 to 40,740 in 2022.

• EV registrations: 10.38 per 1,000 people

Clearly a trend on the rise, Nevada had 11,040 EV registrations in 2020, climbing to 17,380 in 2021. This marks a 57.43% increase in just one year.

Taking a further look back, there were just 1.73 EV registrations per 1,000 people in 2017. This marks a six-fold increase over the course of just five years, which is a strong indicator that Nevada residents are quickly getting onboard with EVs.

• EV registrations: 11.57 per 1,000 people

In 2020, there were 2,360 EV registrations in Washington, D.C. This number climbed significantly to 56.80% in just one year to 3,700 EV registrations in 2021.

Per capita, the rapid increase in registrations is even more striking. In 2017, there were only 1.97 EV registrations per 1,000 people, meaning there were nearly six times more EVs on the road by 2022 — pretty impressive for just a five-year time period.

• EV registrations: 11.84 per 1,000 people

Back in 2018, Colorado had 3.48 EV registrations per 1,000 people, which was one of the highest per capita in the U.S. at the time. The state has continued to be a leader, growing to nearly 3.5 times that number over a four-year period.

In 2020, Colorado had 24,670 EV registrations, totaling 2.4% of those across the U.S. On the rise, this number increased to 37,000 in 2021, comprising 2.54% of all registered EVs in the country.

• EV registrations: 12.55 per 1,000 people

The number of EV registrations in Vermont surged from 2,230 in 2020 to 3,370 in 2021. Due to the state’s small size, this might not look like a lot, but it’s actually a 51.12% increase, which is highly notable.

In 2017, the state had 3.73 EV registrations per 1,000 people. This means the number of registered electric vehicles more than tripled over a five-year time period, which is staggering.

• EV registrations: 13.88 per 1,000 people

In 2017, Oregon had 3.84 EV registrations per 1,000 people. Fast forward five years to 2022 and that number multiplied by more than three-and-a-half times.

Looking closer, there were 22,850 EVs registered in the state in 2020 — 2.2% of those in the entire U.S. Despite growing to 30,290 registered EVs in 2021, the state’s total percentage of EVs in the U.S dropped to 2.08%.

• EV registrations: 14.50 per 1,000 people

Notably, in 2020, Washington had 5% — 50,520 — of all EV registrations in the U.S. This number was already seriously impressive, but it surged even higher to 32.30% to 66,810 by 2021, further cementing the state as an industry leader.

Per capita, the state had 5.83 EV registrations per 1,000 people in 2018. By 2022, more than two-and-a-half times the amount of EVs were registered in the state, marking a significant increase.

• EV registrations: 15.43 per 1,000 people

One of the states with the highest percentage of EVs per capita for years, Hawaii had 5.12 EV registrations per 1,000 people in 2017. This number tripled over the five-year period ending in 2022, making the state a long-time EV leader.

In 2020, Hawaii had 10,670 registered EVs — 1.1% of all registered EVs in the U.S. This number climbed 33.30% in just one year, totaling 14,220 in 2021.

• EV registrations: 27.55 per 1,000 people

It’s probably not too surprising that California is the long-time leader in EV registrations. The Golden State was still on top back in 2017, when it had 8.64 EV registrations per 1,000 people, and that number has since more than tripled.

In 2020, California had 42% of all EV registrations in the U.S., totaling 425,300. This number grew 32.40% to 563,070 in 2021 and will likely continue to increase at rapid pace in the future.

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Please note, data was sourced from InsideEVs and Electrek and is accurate as of May 19, 2023.