France's EV charging network outpaces demand: only 15% want to switch

France has a charging network ahead of its demand for electric cars. According to the EV Index 2026, published in September by mapping firm HERE Technologies and research group SBD Automotive, only 15% of French drivers of combustion cars see an EV as their next vehicle. In Germany the figure is 27%.

The report combines two SBD studies: an index scoring 30 European countries plus regions of the US, India and Australia, and a survey of 4,058 drivers in eight countries, including 850 EV owners. France lands with the US in the category "infrastructure ahead of demand", while Germany and the UK are rated ready.

Cost is the main brake

In France, 46% of respondents believe an electric car costs more to own than a combustion one, the highest share in the survey. The eight-country average is 26%. Some 57% of French respondents also refuse to consider a Chinese brand, the strongest rejection in the study, ahead of the US at 44%.

Perceptions of the network split by experience: 47% of French EV owners rate public charging coverage near them as good or very good, against 22% of other drivers.

Ownership changes minds

Across the eight countries, 76% of EV owners plan to buy another one. Some 68% find charging better than expected and 67% say the same of range. Public charging remains a weak spot, though: one owner in five has found a broken charger and been unable to charge, and 54% have skipped a trip for fear of not finding one. Interest in hybrids and range-extender models rose to 28% from 23% in 2025.

Across Europe, 162,000 charge points were added over the year, up 14%, and average power rose from 44 to 50 kW, still below the 83 kW measured in the US. Norway and the Netherlands tie for first place in the index, ahead of Belgium.

French sales are nonetheless climbing. Figures from AAA Data published on 2 November show EVs made up 41% of new cars registered in France in October 2026, versus 24% a year earlier, helped by the fuel price crisis. In the survey, 70% say pump price increases have raised their interest in electric cars.