Thinking About Buying an Electric Car as Gas Prices Rise? These Are the Best and Worst States for EVs
American consumers scrambling to buy electric vehicles so they never have to pay high gas prices again might want to consider relocating to Massachusetts, Vermont or California — and leaving Louisiana, Kentucky and Idaho.
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The first three states are ranked as the best to own an EV, according to a recent report from Jerry, a car insurance app. The latter three states are among the worst.
Jerry researched states based on three different factors: EV charging port density, gas savings after switching to an electric vehicle and government incentives. What the researchers learned was that purchasing and driving an EV can be a great financial and logistical decision — depending on where you live.
Drivers who live in certain Northeast or West Coast states — such as the aforementioned Massachusetts, Vermont and California — have numerous financial incentives to purchase EVs, as well as more access to charging ports. But that’s not the case for drivers in Louisiana, Kentucky and Idaho.
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Here are some of the key findings from the study:
- Louisiana, Kentucky and Alaska all have fewer than 10 EV charging ports per 100,000 people, which is 10 times less than Vermont.
- Washington, Oregon and Rhode Island EV drivers save more than $4,800 on gas costs over the length of car ownership.
- California, Massachusetts and Maryland drivers can save $8,000 switching to EVs due to financial incentives offered by various government bodies. Kansas, Kentucky, North Dakota and West Virginia drivers have no such incentives.
Nine of the 10 best states to own an EV are located either on the East Coast or West Coast. Here’s how they rank, according to Jerry:
| Rank | State |
| 1 | Massachusetts |
| 2 | Vermont |
| 3 | California |
| 4 | Hawaii |
| 5 | Rhode Island |
| 6 | Connecticut |
| 7 | New York |
| 8 | Maine |
| 9 | Colorado |
| 10 | Maryland |
Nine of the 10 worst states to own an EV are in the South or Midwest:
| Rank | State |
| 41 | Alabama |
| 42 | Oklahoma |
| 43 | West Virginia |
| 44 | Nebraska |
| 45 | Mississippi |
| 46 | North Dakota |
| 47 | Arkansas |
| 48 | Idaho |
| 49 | Kentucky |
| 50 | Louisiana |
Before deciding whether an EV is right for you, Jerry recommends weighing government incentives and gas prices against the cost of the vehicle and availability of charging ports.
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