How Generations Like To Buy EVs: Online vs. In Person

Today, the automotive retail landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, with vehicle technology, consumer preference and politics playing crucial roles. Salespeople must navigate the complexities of meeting the diverse needs of buyers across multiple generations while understanding how vehicle type — gas, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and EV — might influence the buying journey. 

The Evolution of the EV Car-Buying Journey

The CDK Car Shoppers Battle EV Myths Study looked at over 1,000 car shoppers, including 400 targeting EVs, to understand how people approached buying one type of powertrain over another. With 54% of hybrid and 31% of gas vehicle buyers indicating they’re likely to consider an EV for their next purchase — up dramatically from just 38% and 18% the previous year — understanding generational nuances, even within the EV buyer segment, has never been more important to dealership success. 

As the EV market transitions from early adopters to mainstream consumers (or perhaps laggards), dealers must adapt to evolving expectations and buying behaviors. 

EV Buyers Still Prefer In-Dealership Experiences

While some studies have suggested more EV buyers intend to purchase online, that shift hasn’t yet materialized in practice. Previous CDK surveys have indicated that most car buyers still prefer a dealership-only or hybrid online and in-dealership experience — and that remains true for the EV buyer. In fact, a decisive 67% of EV buyers completed the entirety of their buyer journey at the dealership, while just 6% opted for a purely online transaction. 

Generational Shifts Reveal a Preference for Hybrid-Buying Journeys

While EV buyers' preferences for the car-buying journey aligned with those of car buyers in general, the data did reveal a clear generational shift. EV buyers in the eldest generations of our survey — baby boomers and the Silent Generation — demonstrated the strongest preference for a traditional in-person dealership experience at 81%, with just 14% engaging in a hybrid-online and in-person journey. 

Generation X marks a significant shift, with dealership-only journeys dropping to 65% while hybrid experiences rise to 27%. Both older (66% dealership, 28% hybrid) and younger (64% dealership, 30% hybrid) millennials follow a similar pattern, reinforcing the growing preference for a blending online- and in-person-buying experience. 

Generation Z further demonstrates this, with 39% opting for a mix of online and in-person experiences, the highest among all generations. They also show the lowest rate of dealership-only experiences (59%) and, interestingly, the lowest preference for online-only purchases (2%).

Buyers Prefer To Complete Some Phases at the Dealership

With a hybrid-buying experience becoming increasingly important, understanding when and how buyers transition from a digital experience to an in-person one is critical. Interestingly, EV buyer behavior aligns with trends seen across all car buyers: They prefer digital experiences for research, inventory browsing and appointment scheduling but strongly favor in-person experiences for critical phases of the journey, including test drives, price negotiations, financing and final purchase. The test drive remains particularly crucial, with 95% of all EV buyers completing one before purchasing. 

Salespeople Have an Important Role for EV Buyers

While it was clear that the test drive was what sold overall car buyers, the salesperson played a larger role for EV buyers. The majority of EV owners across all generations reported that the salesperson was instrumental in deciding to purchase an EV. This influence highlights the continued importance of knowledgeable Sales staff in the EV transition.