Electric vehicles have a gender issue with women

Tesla best in the EV segment; but EV share with women far behind overall vehicle average

EV-focused startups stand poised to shake up the transportation industry. New brands like Polestar and Lucid are challenging industry stalwarts with fresh designs and remarkable performance. However, in one crucial area these fresh players trail old-school legacy automakers: gender demographics.

S&P Global Mobility analysis indicates that personal new vehicle registrations from the four biggest EV startups available on the US market skew overwhelmingly male. Tesla has the greatest gender diversity, with 33.1% of personal vehicle registrations in 2022 belonging to women, trailed distantly by Polestar, Lucid, and Rivian.

EV brands' female buyer representation

Tesla 33.1%

Polestar 24.7%

Lucid 19.5%

Rivian 14.5%.

Index: Industry EV average 28.0%

Source: S&P Global Mobility CY 2022 vehicle registration data

All these brands lag the industry average, where 41.2% of new, personal vehicle registrations were to women, according to S&P Global Mobility data. But industry-wide, women account for just 28% of all electric vehicle registrations - so Tesla is actually above-average in that aspect.

Of all the brands active in the US market, only exotic sports car manufacturers like Bugatti and McLaren hold lesser representation among women than Rivian.

These EV startup figures are comparable only to mainstream brands that focus on pickup trucks - RAM and GMC - which lean toward marketing their vehicles with a macho, work-truck aesthetic.

Rivian has primarily positioned its R1T electric truck based on its extreme off-road capabilities and eye-opening performance - marketing that is clearly helping the brand when it comes to male buyers. It is still too early to calculate if the recently launched Rivian R1S sport-utility vehicle is reversing that polarization.

Tesla, however, sells more of its Model Y compact SUV than any other model - in a typically strong segment among women car-shoppers. And while the Model Y's share among women is 35% - sharply above the EV-segment average - it is still well below the industry average across all vehicle types.

This lack of appeal among women is certainly a concern for these new brands as they grow their market presence. But it also shows that established OEMs are having issues reaching women as well as they move into the EV space.

"A lot of the mainstream brands are adopting an EV strategy," said Cheryl Woodworth, associate director of consulting for S&P Global Mobility. "How are they going to launch these vehicles? Who are they going to focus on? If they aren't getting women buyers, they're not going to hit the sales numbers that they need."

EV market share for new vehicles is likely to reach 40% by 2030, according to S&P Global Mobility forecasts. To meet the demand, General Motors aims to have 20 EV models available by 2025 as part of a $35 billion investment into electrification and autonomy. Ford recently split its operations, launching its Model e division with plans to produce 2 million EVs annually by 2026 on the back of a $50 billion investment. And VW is launching 10 EV models by 2026.

"That EVs aren't being purchased by women is leading to more questions than answers," said Marc Bland, chief diversity officer for S&P Global Mobility. "Women shoppers have concerns about range anxiety and safety. These brands need to do a lot more educating."

EVs are headed to the mainstream riding a wave of consumer interest, government incentives, and OEM capital-expense funding. And if legacy brands are able to grow their EV female representation to match the rest of their lineups, today's most notable EV startups risk being left behind if they can't find a way to balance their demographics.

This article was published by S&P Global Mobility and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.