The number of people purchasing and using electric vehicles in the United States reached record levels in 2024, thanks to a combination of federal, state, and local incentives and growing awareness about the impact of greenhouse gases on climate change. However, recent moves by the Trump administration to curb incentives to buy EVs, such as tax credits, pause federal fleets' adoption of EVs, and implement tariffs on EV parts is threatening continued growth.
EVs occupied approximately 8.6% of the new vehicle retail market in the country in 2023, according to consumer research firm J.D. Power. The firm projects that number to plateau at about 9.1% in 2025. While California continues to hold the top spot for EV adoption, the largest growth was recorded in New York, Florida, and Colorado.
Stacker analyzed data from the Department of Energy and the nonprofit Tax Foundation to determine which states are the most hospitable for EV owners.
Scores were determined by calculating the number of charging stations per EV, excluding plug-in hybrids (30% of the overall score), the number of laws and incentives for owning an EV (10%), and the annual in-state cost of owning an EV—including yearly registration fees minus the maximum tax credits offered.
Data on registration and charging stations is accurate as of April 2025.
Three types of EVs are available in the American market: battery EVs, powered solely by electricity from rechargeable battery packs; plug-in hybrid EVs, which, along with batteries, also have an internal combustion engine to supplement electric power for longer ranges; and fuel cell EVs, which convert compressed hydrogen gas into electricity.
Widespread EV adoption benefits the environment, the average consumer, and the nation's energy independence. EVs produce lower emissions, are more efficient, and have better fuel economy than their gas-powered counterparts. EVs can cost more off the lot, but consumers typically pay less for using them than they would for nonelectric vehicles.
Electricity in the U.S. is produced by a diversified mix of sources, including natural gas, wind energy, coal, nuclear energy, hydropower, and solar energy. Therefore, the widespread adoption of EVs will make the U.S. consumer automobile market less susceptible to shocks in the global fuel market.
However, the growing adoption of EVs has hurt states in unintended ways. It has decreased their revenues from gas taxes and caused lost money in tax credits. States have adopted or are considering policies to increase fees associated with using EVs to recover some of the lost revenue. Vermont, notably, is evaluating a miles-traveled fee to regain some of the lost funds.
You may also like: The outsourcing of housework is on the rise—and it's creating a shift both inside of the home and out
Stacker
Urban areas with additional clean vehicle tax credits are the most friendly for EVs
Nebraska, Louisiana, Iowa, and Arkansas have regulations that make it difficult for car manufacturers to sell EVs directly to consumers. Electric vehicle manufacturers like Tesla rely on a direct-to-consumer sales model that excludes dealers as the go-between, saving consumers' and manufacturers' expenses. Prohibitions on direct sales make purchasing EVs difficult for consumers, especially by making the process more expensive than direct purchases.
By contrast, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Oregon score as some of the most EV-friendly states in the country. These states also have high urbanization rates, with California at 94.2% urbanization, New Jersey at 93.8%, Connecticut at 86.3%, and Oregon at 80.5%.
EVs tend to be popular in big cities and urban areas that tend to have denser charging networks, shorter commute times, and local EV adoption and use incentives.
However, rural areas' lower population density disincentivizes companies from building extensive charging networks as in urban areas. The insufficient EV infrastructure has been a critical barrier to EV adoption in the rural parts of the U.S.
States with large swaths of rural areas make up some of the least EV-friendly states. Some of the lowest EV-friendly scores in the nation belong to South Dakota with 57.2% urbanization, Nebraska with 73%, Louisiana with 71.5%, Iowa with 63.2%, and Arkansas with 55.5%.
Residents of rural areas also take on longer commutes and travel more often than their urban counterparts, contributing to consumer anxiety about vehicle range and the need to make stops for charging.
California, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Connecticut, and Oregon are the top five EV-friendly states in the U.S. In addition to the $7,500 tax credit available for EV buyers in all states, these states offer additional EV tax credits ranging from $4,000 to $7,500. They also have high numbers of registered EVs.
The top five least EV-friendly states, South Dakota, Nebraska, Louisiana, Iowa, and Arkansas, have no additional EV tax credits, few EV charging stations per vehicle, and few registered EVs.
Story editing by Shannon Luders-Manuel. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Tim Bruns and Kristen Wegrzyn.