The 20 best cities to own an electric vehicle, ranked
- Electric vehicle ownership is on the rise, with 1.2 million cars sold last year.
- Realtor.com and Kelley Blue Book ranked the top 20 US cities for EV owners to live.
2023 was a banner year for electric vehicles, with a record 1.2 million sold in the United States — about 8% of all cars sold, according to research firm Kelley Blue Book.
But for climate-conscious car buyers, the EV lifestyle requires more planning than just driving off the lot.
To ease range anxiety, EV buyers want to either charge overnight at home or live close to a public charging station. Those factors make where you buy a home just as important a decision as which model you drive.
Following the explosion in electric-car popularity, home-listings site Realtor.com partnered with Kelley Blue Book, which is owned by automotive-technology firm Cox Automotive, to identify the top housing markets for EV drivers.
The researchers weighed two factors. First, the percentage of homes in a market that advertised their friendliness for electric vehicles, including at-home charging stations. Second, the density of electric vehicles compared to available public charging ports.
Many of the top markets are — not surprisingly — clustered around tech and startup hubs like San Francisco, Boston, and Salt Lake City. California dominates, with eight metropolitan areas in the top 20.
Of course, the market for EVs is still small. In and around San Jose, a city an hour south of San Francisco that is home to a number of tech companies, only about 5% of listings mentioned electric vehicles — but that was the most of any metro area.
Those figures could rise as homeowners take advantage of federal rebates and tax breaks to install at-home electric-car chargers. The Biden administration is also subsidizing public charging infrastructure.
Some home sellers, though, are already touting their EV-readiness for a competitive edge. A three-bedroom townhouse in San Jose, on the market for almost $1.3 million, boasts a "2-car garage with 220v outlet to charge your electric vehicle."
"Mirroring the rise in the number of electric vehicles, the share of homes marketing EV-friendly characteristics on Realtor.com is growing over time," said Danielle Hale, an economist at Realtor.com.
Read on for the top 20 metros for electric-car owners, as determined by Realtor.com and Kelley Blue Book.
20. Las Vegas, Nevada
Share of EV-friendly listings: 1.1%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 28
19. Fresno, California
Share of EV-friendly listings: 0.7%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 14
18. Portland, Oregon
Share of EV-friendly listings: 1.7%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 32
17. Portland, Maine
Share of EV-friendly listings: 0.8%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 13
16. Honolulu
Share of EV-friendly listings: 2.1%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 36
15. Riverside, California
Share of EV-friendly listings: 2.6%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 33
14. Oxnard, California
Share of EV-friendly listings: 2.9%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 40
13. Atlanta, Georgia
Share of EV-friendly listings: 1.3%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 19
12. Sacramento, California
Share of EV-friendly listings: 1.9%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 26
11. San Diego, California
Share of EV-friendly listings: 2.6%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 30
10. Denver, Colorado
Share of EV-friendly listings: 1.6%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 20
9. Washington DC
Share of EV-friendly listings: 1.6%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 19
8. Los Angeles
Share of EV-friendly listings: 3.1%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 29
7. Austin
Share of EV-friendly listings: 2.0%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 24
6. Durham, North Carolina
Share of EV-friendly listings: 1.7%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 21
5. Seattle
Share of EV-friendly listings: 3.3%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 29
4. Boston
Share of EV-friendly listings: 1.3%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 13
3. San Francisco
Share of EV-friendly listings: 3.8%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 29
2. Salt Lake City
Share of EV-friendly listings: 1.6%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 17
1. San Jose, California
Share of EV-friendly listings: 4.9%
Number of EVs per public charging port: 24
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