Electric car drivers share the one thing they wished they knew before making the switch to EV

It’s often said that hindsight is 20/20, and these electric car drivers certainly agree with that statement.

Asked on Reddit what’s one thing they wish they’d known before making the switch to EVs, the answers came fast.

For some it was surprise registration fees, for others the fact a basic outlet is all you need at home.

But for most, the one thing these drivers concede is they wish they’d made the swap sooner.

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The one thing these electric car drivers wish they’d known

For some on this Reddit thread, the ‘one thing’ was money-related. 

“That my state planned to mess with EV owners by raising registration fees every year well above what any ICE driver would ever pay in gas tax,” wrote one Redditor.

Instead of savings, they felt punished for going green.

For others, it was range. 

Multiple drivers admitted they didn’t actually need massive batteries. 

One person wrote, “I don’t need a car with 500km range” – roughly 300 miles.

Another added that most electric car drivers ‘buy for the 5 percent use case rather than the 90 percent’ when the truth is that daily driving rarely stretches beyond 100 miles.

Charging at home caught people out too. 

One owner said they paid extra for a heavy-duty 60-amp install, only to realize they never needed it.

“I only need about a quarter to a third of the charging power I thought I needed,” they said.

Dozens of others echoed the same regret – the real lesson being that if you’ve got a garage outlet, you’ve got a charger.

And then there were quirks no one saw coming. 

Low-speed ‘pedestrian warning tones’ confused new owners who thought their car was broken. 

“I just want to know who decided cars moving slow need to sound like a biblically accurate angel,” one stunned driver joked.

The surprise upside “one thing”

Plenty of drivers had a much more positive regret: “Wish I had done it sooner.”

The smoother rides, the lack of oil changes, the quiet cabins – once they experienced it, gas cars felt like relics. 

Used EVs were another revelation. 

Battery degradation turned out to be minimal, leaving owners surprised at how good second-hand cars were. 

Several admitted they’d wasted money on leases when buying used would’ve been just as solid.

And then there’s the sensory shift. 

A few joked that after driving electric, the smell of diesel became unbearable. 

The one thing? 

For most, it wasn’t a problem at all – it was realizing they’d waited far too long to make the switch.