The Impact of Policy Incentives on the Purchase of Electric Vehicles by Consumers in China’s First-Tier Cities: Moderate-Mediate Analysis

With the rapid development of China’s electric vehicle industry, the influence mechanism of government policies on consumers’ purchase intentions has become a research focus. This study integrates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and SOR theory to propose four key driving factors: policy incentive, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and test drive experience. Through stratified random sampling of 400 valid questionnaires in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, four cities with a high penetration rate of electric vehicles, the structural equation model (SEM) was used for empirical analysis. The results show that policy incentives have a significant impact on purchase intentions and play a mediating role through perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use; driving experience moderates the effects of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on purchase intentions. Based on the research results, this paper proposes a three-stage policy optimization path: strengthening the accuracy of fiscal and tax incentives in the short term, improving the visual construction of the charging network in the medium term, and establishing a network of test drive experience centers in the long term. The research conclusions provide a theoretical basis for the government to formulate differentiated electric vehicle promotion strategies and propose a “policy-technology-service” three-dimensional implementation plan for enterprises to optimize product design and improve user experience, so as to help the sustainable development of China’s electric vehicle market.