Man travels to Italy to find out first-hand why the country is snubbing EVs and what needs to change to make Italians want them
Published on Apr 26, 2026 at 2:20 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Apr 26, 2026 at 2:20 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Italy is snubbing EVs, and one man has traveled to the country to see just why that’s happening, and what, if anything, can change the collective Italian mind and make them want electric cars
YouTuber Andrew Till, or Mr.EV, traveled to Italy to see what the problem with them is, as well as the issues facing potential customers.
Other countries largely seem to be embracing the move to electrification, so is Italy a big outlier, and if so, why?
It’s an interesting conundrum, and one that needs solving to work out if EVs can ever work in the country.
Why are EVs a problem in Italy?
We asked Till for his thoughts as to why EVs aren’t a hit in Italy right now.
“The Italians I speak to are genuinely open to the idea, but take a lot of convincing that it could work for them practically,” he told Supercar Blondie.
In terms of market shares, EVs in Europe reached 17.4 percent in 2025.
“Italy was at just 6.2 percent, and has 283,000 EVs on the road,” said the YouTuber.
One potential problem is housing, with around half of Italians living in apartments.
That makes home charging difficult, with no space to install a wall charger at home.
“In the UK, EV adoption has been driven largely by people who can charge at home overnight,” Till told us.
“In Rome, where most people live in apartments without assigned parking, that’s not an option,” he added to Supercar Blondie.
But there is a lot more at play here than just a lack of places to put in a wall charger at home.
Other factors hurt electric cars in Italy
Hybrids are popular, yet a full EV isn’t.
“Hybrids feel like the natural stepping stone right now,” Till told Supercar Blondie.
“People are interested in electrification, but want the security of a petrol engine as a fallback,” he added.
Part of the problem is cost, as electric cars can be more expensive than hybrids.
“What really drives purchasing decisions is cost,” Till told us.
“Despite the obvious national pride around Italian brands like Fiat, if a cheaper foreign car represents better value, Italians will buy it — and do,” he added
“BYD is already gaining traction there,” Till concluded.
Many Italians, such as those in Rome, favor smaller cars for city use, such as the Fiat 500.
And while companies like Fiat do make small electric vehicles, they struggle price-wise compared to those from China.
Then there’s the relatively poor charging architecture in the country, compared to places like the UK.
All of this has meant that EV adoption in Italy has fallen behind many other European countries.
At this moment in time, it looks like Italy will be the home of the hybrid, and not the fully electric car.
Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
