While electric vehicles (EVs) present car shoppers with numerous benefits over internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, such as advanced technology, environmental impacts, and simpler maintenance, they also have notable differences—limited driving range and higher upfront costs—that may cause potential buyers to hesitate. This can lead to lower-than-expected EV sales for your store and less-than-happy customers.
Understanding and acknowledging customer concerns with electric vehicles helps your store become a source of EV expertise, assisting shoppers in finding the right vehicle for their needs, giving them confidence in their purchase, and increasing customer satisfaction while selling more cars.
Empower Your Team to Ease Electric Vehicle Buyer Worries
What Prevents EV Shoppers from Making a Purchase?
It isn’t only range anxiety that stops prospective electric vehicle customers from making the switch. According to our recent survey data, 40% of recent non-EV buyers who considered purchasing an EV ultimately decided against it with concerns over high electric vehicle cost, charging infrastructure, and long-distance travel.
While these deciding factors are outside of a dealership’s influence, they still offer you the opportunities to educate customers and enhance their car shopping experience with the right financing options, maintenance plans, details on charging locations, and guidance through the ownership journey with well-trained staff.
Going Beyond the Battery
- Talk Total Cost of Ownership: Focus on the bigger picture. EVs often have lower maintenance costs due to fewer moving parts. Highlight potential fuel savings, your latest specials, and government incentives to help offset the upfront cost, as well as any EV-specific prepaid maintenance plans you offer.
- Give Range Reassurance: Address range anxiety head-on. Discuss the realistic range of each EV model and how it compares to the customer’s typical driving habits. Emphasize the growing network of charging stations, advancements in battery technology, and features that can help boost range such as regenerative braking.
- Discuss Home-Charging Setup: Promote the convenience of home charging and educate customers on installation options and potential cost savings compared to gas stations. Because over 80% of EV intenders are interested in purchasing a home charger, this can be a profitable opportunity for your store to provide.
- Be a Charging Resource: Provide maps or information on public charging networks, apps to locate stations, and different charging speeds. Be sure to educate customers not only during the sales appointment but in after-sales marketing communications as well.
- Invite Interested Purchasers to Test-Drive the Future: Offer extended or real-world test-drives. Let customers experience the smooth ride, quiet operation, and instant torque that EVs offer. This can help address range concerns and build excitement.
- Offer Financing Flexibility: Highlight financing options tailored to EVs, including potential dealership rebates, as well as tax credits. Work with lenders to create attractive financing packages that address upfront costs.
- Build an EV Dream Team: Train your sales staff to become EV specialists. Equip them with in-depth knowledge about EV technology, charging infrastructure, and total cost of ownership, so customers can feel confident they’re getting accurate information.
Charge Up Conversions with the Right EV Tools and Tactics
Electric vehicle range, costs, and other concerns are common among EV shoppers, and these sales techniques can help your store close more deals while keeping customer satisfaction high. With additional expertise through Affinitiv Voltage, our EV-focused division, alongside Affinitiv Essentials, our multi-channel marketing platform, you can adopt the proper processes and marketing communications to help interested purchasers overcome their EV concerns and make the switch.
Contact us today to find out how we can help you stay ahead in the ever-changing electric vehicle landscape.
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