Best States for Electric Vehicles: What Is the Most EV Friendly State?

The most EV-friendly states in the U.S.

Most EV Friendly StatesIt’s a well-known fact that some parts of the US are friendlier for electric vehicle owners than others.

Electric vehicle (EV) sales have grown exponentially, with major growth in the top auto markets in China, the US, and Europe. You may have even seen the major development that car manufacturer Volvo declared that every car they launch as of 2019 will have an electric motor.

The key points that attract people to electric vehicles are the low running costs and of course they are a lot more environmentally friendly than vehicles that require petrol or diesel. Buying an electric will therefore not emit any of the gases associated with global warming, thus lowering your carbon footprint.

With all the advantages of buying an electric vehicle, like free EV charging, we wanted to discover where the most electric-friendly US states were.

Due to so many factors, it’s hard to pinpoint which state is the most EV friendly but we’ve broken it down by population density, land size, and population to help people make the right decision in the EV market.

Our experts at FindTheBestCarPrice.com created a table with key information from each state like the number of EV charging points, square miles of land, and the EV charging points per square mile.

Top 10 States for EVs by Population DensityBest States EV by Population Density

StateNo. of EV Charging PointsPopulation Density
(People per Sq Mile)
EV Charging Points/Per Person
Massachusetts
1,878
897
0.00027
Rhode Island
230
1,050
0.00021
Maryland
1,077
632
0.00017
Connecticut
460
744
0.00013
New Jersey
626
1,252
0.00007
New York
2,694
428
0.00013
Delaware
106
507
0.00011
Florida
2,306
399
0.00011
Pennsylvania
1,028
290
0.00008
Ohio
827
288
0.00007

Ranked by EV Charging Points per Square Land Mile

Best States EVs Pop Density

1. Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, there are 0.0027 EV charging points per person of the population, which may not seem a lot but is the largest figure of any state.

We can thank the success of Massachusetts to the federal tax credit, which means that if you install an electric charging point you will receive a tax credit of 30% of the cost of purchasing and installing the station.

This incentive previously expired in 2017 but has now been extended through to December 2021.

 

2. Rhode Island

Rhode Island has 0.00021 charging points per person of the population, which shows that we are slowly moving to an electric world. This state has a program called SmartCharge Rhode Island, which aims to change drivers' behaviors; charging their vehicles during off-peak hours.

The program was launched two years ago, and participants earn $50 annually for signing up. This program allows more people to be able to charge their vehicles, and therefore more people can opt for an EV.

Ryan Cote, program manager for Electric Transportation said, “This is a really positive sign that our SmartCharge Rhode Island (RI) drivers are taking advantage of electricity overnight, when most of us are asleep and when it’s cheapest and cleanest. National Grid is happy to reward smart charging behavior like this, by offering discounted rates for off-peak charging.”

3. Maryland

Maryland is the third top state by population density with 0.00017 charging points per person. Maryland has a number of incentives to encourage people to buy an EV. An example is the Federal Income Tax Credit of up to $7,500 for the purchase of a qualifying Electric Vehicle or Plug-in Hybrid.

Top 10 States for EVs by Land SizeBest States EV by Land Size

StateNo. of EV Charging PointsSQ Miles (Land Only)EV Charging Points/Square Mile
California
13,331
155,959
0.085
Colorado
1,425
103,718
0.014
Oregon
877
95,997
0.009
Texas
2,114
261,797
0.008
Arizona
773
113,635
0.007
Nevada
410
109,826
0.004
New Mexico
168
121,356
0.001
Wyoming
57
97,100
0.001
Montana
67
145,552
0
Alaska
46
571,951
0

Ranked by EV Charging Points per Square Land Mile

1. California

Best States EVs Land SizeCalifornia was top of the list because the state is committed to its deadlines for transitioning the state to electric buses and vehicles, as well as its initiative to subsidize those drivers who are paid lower with electric vehicles instead of older cars.

Bryan Howard, state policy director at ACEEE and lead report author said: “Transitioning to electric vehicles is vital for the climate and for reducing costs for households and businesses. The leading states are embracing this transition, but many more are just starting, even as the automakers are preparing a burst of new electric models.”

2. Colorado

Colorado offers some great incentives for EV owners through the income 69 program. It is named the “Innovative Motor Vehicle and Truck Credits for Electric and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles,” the program provides fully refundable tax credits for electric vehicles purchased between January 1, 2021, and January 1, 2026.

3. Oregon

This state has a population of 95,997 and 877 EV charging points. This state is EV-friendly mainly due to Oregon’s 50K 2020 initiative, which means that new buildings must have EV charging infrastructure.

Top 10 States for EVs by Population

StateNo. of EV Charging PointsPopulationEV Charging Points/Per Person
California
13,331
39,538,223
0.00034
Georgia
1,485
10,711,908
0.00014
New York
2,694
20,201,249
0.00013
Florida
2,306
21,538,187
0.00011
North Carolina
957
10,439,388
0.00009
Pennsylvania
1,028
13,002,700
0.00008
Michigan
740
10,077,331
0.00007
Texas
2,114
29,145,505
0.00007
Illinois
907
12,812,508
0.00007
Ohio
827
11,799,448
0.00007

Ranked by EV Charging Points per Person

Best States EVs Population

1. California

California was also top of this list with 13,331 EV charging points, this means there are 0.00034 charging points per person in the state. California is committed to its deadlines for transitioning the state to electric buses and vehicles, as well as its initiative to subsidize those drivers who are paid lower with electric vehicles instead of older cars.

2. Georgia

With a population of 10,711,90, there have been more than 6,000 EV’s sold in Georgia in 2018, an increase of 147% compared to the year before. To support the drivers of the 30,000 EVs on the road in this state, Georgia has 1,485 available EV charging stations.

3. New York

New York has 47,214 square miles of land and 2,694 EV charging points, and this state has a number of programs to encourage people to go electric such as:

New York Make-Ready is a $700 million statewide program that creates the infrastructure to support 850,000 EVs by 2025.

Furthermore, the ​​Charge Ready NY rebate provides up to $4,000 per Level 2 charging station installed at most parking lots.

Top 10 Cities for EVs

Breaking it down further, we looked at the U.S’s top 10 biggest cities by population and found out how many charging stations they had.

New York is the U.S’s most populated city and has 2,694 EV chargers, this is 12.32% of the state’s EV chargers.

Chicago is the U.S’s third largest city, and is home to 907 EV charging stations - which is 27.45% of the state’s total chargers. This is the highest percentage seen throughout the cities researchers looked at.

EV Chargers in Biggest Cities

To round things up...

The most EV-friendly states by population density are:

  • Massachusetts
  • Rhode Island
  • Maryland

The most EV-friendly states by land size are:

  • California
  • Colorado
  • Oregon

The most EV-friendly states by population are:

  • California
  • Georgia
  • New York

What Charging Infrastructure Can the US Look Foward To?

Future of Charging EVsAlthough there is room for improvement, the US has over 543,000 EV’s registered and over 100,000 public chargers.

President Joe Biden has vowed to make the US’s entire federal fleet all electric. Although this hasn’t been completely achieved, the White House has already introduced two bills to reform the federal tax credit for Electric Vehicles.

There will also be an increase in the number of EV manufacturers such as Tesla and plans to expand EV charging infrastructure around the country.

To ensure the growth of EV’s, it is imperative that people have accessible fast-charging stations away from their home or workplace at competitive prices.

Although we understand more about which states are more EV-friendly than others, it is uncertain how quickly charging infrastructure will be put in place and how it will exactly look like.