Do Electric Vehicle Users Travel Differently? Findings From Register and Real-World Travel Data

We examine whether electric vehicle (EV) users travel differently from internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) users, and whether any observed differences arise from trip frequency, trip length, or user characteristics. We use two unique and complementary contemporary data sources: national register data on annual vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT) at the car level and multi-month GPS travel diaries capturing daily mobility patterns for battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and ICEV users. Register-based results show that privately owned BEVs and PHEVs are driven substantially longer annual distances than ICEVs, even after conditioning on registered user sociodemographic characteristics and car attributes. GPS data reveal more modest differences: BEV users drive longer daily distances but do not make more trips. The BEV–ICEV gap diminishes when car class and individual characteristics are controlled for, and PHEV users do not differ systematically from ICEV users. Overall, the higher VKT among EVs and EV users— particularly for BEVs—either reflects selection, whereby high-mileage drivers are more likely to adopt EVs, or behavioral responses, whereby EV ownership lowers the perceived cost of car travel and encourages substitution toward more distant destinations.