TL;DRJD Power’s 2026 APEAL study found EV owners rate their cars higher than gas car owners in nearly every category measured
Electric vehicle owners are happier with their cars than drivers of combustion vehicles in nearly every category measured, according to JD Power’s 2026 Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout study released this week. The survey of 78,514 owners of 2026 model-year vehicles found that EVs outscored internal combustion engine cars by 109 points on a 1,000-point scale in powertrain satisfaction alone, the largest gap of any category in the study. Overall new-vehicle satisfaction reached 858 points, up seven points year over year, the biggest single-year improvement since 2018.
EVs also posted the largest year-over-year improvement of any powertrain type, gaining 22 points compared with the prior year. The jump comes as the vehicles themselves have materially improved, with NACS charging ports replacing adapters across most new models, heat pumps becoming standard on more trims, and several manufacturers adding meaningful range through updated battery chemistry. JD Power asks owners about 37 attributes covering everything from the comfort of the driver’s seat to the feeling of stepping on the accelerator, and EVs led or matched combustion vehicles on the majority of them.
