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Investigating vehicle purchasing behavior, vehicle expenditure, and potential barriers to BEV uptake in underserved communities - Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are essential for reducing emissions and meeting sustainability goals, yet their adoption has largely been limited to higher-income and new car buyers, leaving many low-income California households without access. As the used PEV market grows, it has the potential to expand access, given that secondary markets typically lag behind new sales. However, for policies and programs to effectively increase PEV accessibility, these vehicles must be viable purchases for used car buyers and available where they typically buy and maintain their cars. Using data from low-income and underserved communities, we conduct an exploratory analysis of car buying behavior, costs, and usage across three key segments: new versus used vehicles, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) versus internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), and income categories. We also assess transportation and fuel cost burdens, defined as the percentage of income spent on all vehicle-related expenses and fuel, respectively. Our findings show a strong correlation between BEV ownership, new car purchasing, and higher income levels. Lower-income households, on average, spend nearly six times more of their income on vehicle-related expenses than higher-income households. While BEVs provide savings in maintenance and fuel costs compared to ICEVs and new vehicles, their initial purchase price may need to be subsidized to reduce the financial burden for lower-income buyers. Additionally, we find that used car buyers, ICEV owners, and lower-income households rarely purchase or service their vehicles at automaker dealerships and tend to buy older, higher-mileage vehicles that fall outside standard BEV warranty coverage. These findings suggest that current financial incentives, which are often limited to dealership purchases, may not effectively support lower-income buyers. They also highlight additional barriers to BEV adoption for these groups, such as reliability concerns and limited access to home charging. To promote more equitable BEV adoption, we recommend expanding incentive eligibility, strengthening battery warranties, introducing battery replacement rebates, and increasing home charging infrastructure.
