Attitudes and purchase intention towards electric vehicles: a systematic meta-analytical literature review

This study examines the relationship between consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards electric vehicles through a meta-analysis of 31 studies comprising 14,060 samples. Using meta-analytic structural equation modelling, this research finds that consumer attitudes significantly influence electric vehicle purchase intentions, with environmental concern emerging as the strongest predictor (r = .612), followed by perceived usefulness (r = .514) and perceived ease of use (r = .512). The analysis reveals that attitude mediates the relationships between these antecedents and purchase intentions. Vehicle type (i.e. battery electric vehicles, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, new energy vehicles) significantly moderates the attitude-purchase intention relationship, while culture does not have a significant moderating effect. These findings advance our understanding of the technology acceptance model framework and provide insights for promoting electric vehicle adoption. Emphasising environmental benefits can effectively shape consumer attitudes, while differentiated marketing strategies based on vehicle types can maximise impact across consumer segments.