You ever think about owning an electric vehicle? I sure do. Every time I’ve thought about it, I ended up buying a gas car for the same reasons I think most people in my shoes do:
- It’s too expensive
- It’s inconvenient
- The range isn’t long enough
With gas prices the way they are lately, I’m thinking about it again. A lot. And I can’t be the only one.
Every time gas prices spike, something predictable happens: people don’t just get frustrated—they get emotional.
They complain at the pump. They post screenshots of the price. They feel a loss of control, a sense that something essential to their daily life is suddenly unstable. It’s not just about cost—it’s about anxiety, resentment, and helplessness.
Photo credit: Michael Barajas / Shutterstock.com
And yet, in these exact moments, when consumers are most primed for change, electric vehicle companies continue to market like engineers instead of storytellers. Or worse, they don’t market at all.
That’s the missed opportunity.
High gas prices create a rare psychological opening. Consumers are actively questioning a behavior they’ve long accepted: filling up their tank.
So why does every car commercial still look the same and end with the price per month?
No one is reframing today’s experience in a way that connects with how people actually feel in that moment.
When someone is standing at the pump watching the numbers climb, they’re not thinking about kilowatt hours. They’re thinking:
“Why am I still doing this?”
That’s the emotional pivot point. And it’s where EV brands should be living.
Instead of saying, “Save money over time,” imagine messaging that says: “Never feel this again.”
Picture driving by gas station after gas station with the exorbitant prices out front, and you never stop to fill up.
Relieve recharge anxiety by showing how easy it is to do it at home. Throw in a free home charger.
High gas prices won’t last forever—but the perceptions formed during these spikes can. This is when brands can reposition EVs from “alternative” to “obvious.” But that requires leaning into emotion, not just education.
Emotional marketing wins because people buy feelings long before they buy features.
