Men are more likely to buy an electric car and this is why

Electric cars were meant to level the playing field – affordable, efficient, and universally appealing.

But in reality, men are twice as likely as women to own one.

The divide runs deeper than price tags or performance specs.

It’s a story about who the EV world was built for… and who’s rebuilding it now.

DISCOVER SBX CARS – The global premium auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

Where the electric car gender gap comes from

EV ownership has leaned male for more than a decade, shaped by income gaps, risk tolerance, and marketing.

Men generally have more disposable income and are quicker to experiment with new tech, according to data analysts like Jessica Caldwell at Edmunds. 

That alone tilted the early market.

But what really sealed the imbalance was image. 

Tesla’s early cult status and the ‘tech-bro’ energy that followed gave EVs a very specific personality – part Silicon Valley, part garage fantasy.

Ad campaigns only reinforced it, with stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Will Ferrell spruiking the next big thing in electrification.

At the same time, practical realities made ownership trickier for others. 

Public chargers in dark car parks or behind shopping centers have raised safety concerns, as EV creator Liv Leigh points out. 

And when you’re managing tight schedules or family routines, adding a scavenger hunt for a working charger doesn’t exactly sell convenience.

The result wasn’t intentional exclusion, but a system optimized for the people leading the conversation.

Women are driving the next wave

But that’s all starting to change. 

After being ‘mansplained’ to in online forums, Mustang Mach-E driver Ashlea Wooten-Chapple created the Mach-E Girls Club.

A space for women who love their EVs.

What began as a small Facebook group is now 6,500 members strong, full of owners comparing charge times, road-trip hacks, and even color combos for their next Mach-E.

That shift is spreading fast. 

Liv Leigh and Nica Mendoza lead I’ll Drive What She’s Driving with Generation 180.

A campaign built to show women behind the wheel of EVs, not as passengers or tagalongs but as early adopters in their own right. 

And the industry’s listening. 

Charging companies like Rove and Ionna are redesigning stations with better lighting, clearer layouts, and 24-hour security.

Subtle updates that make the EV experience feel safer and more inclusive.

10 years ago, men outnumbered women three to one in EV ownership. 

Now it’s two to one, and shrinking with every new electric car delivered.

It goes to show that while the first generation of EVs may have been built for the tech-obsessed few, the next is being shaped by everyone else.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie