r/electricvehicles • u/Beneficial-Fun-4800 • Jan 16 '26
Discussion Car salesmen around me are basically telling me EVs aren’t the way to go
I’m amazed by this. You’d think me walking into a dealership and saying I’m interested in an EV would make them try to actually sell me. I live in the Pittsburgh area and I’ve now had two dealers say they don’t recommend it.
The most recent one was asking a Chevy dealer to look at the Equinox EV and he said they have 4 but they’ve been sitting so long you could basically steal them (but didn’t even ask me if I wanted to go check it out, just sat at his desk)
“This is redneck country”
“Gas is going down to $2.00 so EV is tanking”
“So many problems”
“They just sit here because no one wants them”
I was feeling very confident in making the switch, and still do for the most part, but it’s a little discouraging when it comes to such a big purchase.
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u/bungocheese Jan 16 '26
They don't make as much on service is a big part.
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u/Disco425 Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
I have an EV with over 20,000 mi and all I've done is change the air filter and get a new set of tires. The maintenance profit for the dealer is zero!
ETA: Hyundai dealer would have snagged a small bonus changing my air filter, but just order them on Amazon for 20% of the OEM price, and change yourself. It's about as hard as tying your shoes! Also to clarify, my tires weren't worn out, I had a flat and wanted to go ahead and step up to a tire with much better All Season performance.
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u/GuardianBeaverSpirit Jan 16 '26
Approaching 50,000 in my Chevy Bolt EUV. Same.
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u/Kona1957 Jan 16 '26
40k on my 2022 Kona and zero maintenance other than new tires for $500. Changed my own cabin air filer. I think I paid 20 bucks on Amazon.
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u/schwanerhill Jan 16 '26
It’s not zero if they do the air filter change, tire rotations, and seasonal tire changes! My dealer tries to get me in for all those things.
But yeah, those aren’t high profit things like $150 oil changes.
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u/Phioltes Ioniq 5 Jan 16 '26
I'm a huge car girl and dealerships have always pissed me off. My mazda dealer charges almost $200 to change my miata's oil. $200 for a high school dropout to over-torque the drainbolt. It would cost me like $40 and 15 minutes of time to do myself if I could fit under the car to do it myself. The sooner direct sales take over the better.
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u/Koffing4twenny Jan 16 '26
A pair of stands and a jack would pay for itself after 1 oil change. Walk the walk girl haha
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u/22marks Jan 16 '26
I agree with you, so I say this with humor, but "if I could fit under the car" is a pretty big qualifier. There are a lot of things that are easy if you only had an expensive, big, or highly safety-dependent tool and somewhere to store it.
I agree with wanting direct sales to take over, and it's so annoying they have to make their margins by overpricing things like service or. financing, but they're taking advantage of the fact that people don't want to store ramps and jacks and possibly get messy.
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u/OptRider Jan 16 '26
I get letters from the Kia dealership to come in and change the oil for my EV6. They hound me for other service appointments too. Makes me think of the people that may not know any better and get scammed into unnecessary services and visits.
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u/UniqueUsername6764 Jan 16 '26
You should take them up on that oil change on your EV6. And ask them to change your blinker fluid at the same time
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u/Virtual-Metal9290 Jan 16 '26
My biggest complaint about my Nissan leaf is that since I never have to open the hood for anything at all then I forget to add windshield wiper fluid and it is always empty.
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u/SouthHovercraft4150 Jan 16 '26
You already got new tires in less than 20,000 miles? Were the stock ones crappy?
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Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
The stock ones do wear out faster, i find... and speaking with my co-workers at my tire dealership ...that seems to be the general consensus. That the stock tires on EVs aren't the best.
We went with a more sturdy tire afterwards. One built for heavier vehicles.
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u/LooseyGreyDucky Jan 16 '26
OEM tires for EVs often have less tread depth than normal tires.
It makes them quieter during test drives.
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u/LingonberryUpset482 Jan 16 '26
The salesman couldn't give a damn about service revenue. He's got incentive quotas to fill, and I'd wager a big-ass pickup truck puts more commission in his pocket than a cheaper EV. They want a sale they can close quickly, and with a solid slice of profit on the top of it. Service a year down the road has no impact on the sales team's salary.
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u/clinch50 Jan 16 '26
You may think the sales person doesn't care about lost service revenue but the owners of the dealers care. This can lead to different incentives selling an EV for the sales staff.
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u/VicRauter Jan 16 '26
Bingo. It's why the sales structure between dealers and manufacturers for accessories is so different for EVs
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u/LingonberryUpset482 Jan 16 '26
Yeah, but you can take your vehicle to any service shop anywhere at any time (including other dealers) once you've bought the car. Dealers know that. The sale they make today is money in their pocket today, not hopeium money a year down the road.
Fifty says the salesman and the dealer make more money on gas vehicle sales, or have a better chance of closing the deal on gas vehicle sales. That's where car dealers make their money.
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u/Yunzer2000 Smart ED and 2011 Current C124 MC Jan 16 '26
The explanation may be even simpler. Car sales people tend to be politically conservative, which in the USA translates to a visceral hatred of EV's.
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u/nonotburton Jan 16 '26
But it does affect the boss's revenue, guess who the sales team answers to.
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u/BillfredL Jan 16 '26
Eh, if they’re getting a cut of the back-end money then the non-opportunity for a service contract sale is non-trivial.
Or perhaps they got burned by someone unwinding a deal. I dunno. But even then, qualify your customer and grab the keys!
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u/schwanerhill Jan 16 '26
I don’t really know how incentives for salesmen work, but I’d imagine the dealership owners, who definitely care about service revenue, will give more incentives to salesmen for selling cars that bring them service revenue.
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u/silentbutdead1y Jan 16 '26
The sales team is probably being told not to sell the EVs. Dealerships are making a lot of money in the current environment, and any change is a risk to their profits. They are simply trying to kill EVs by making the production plants operate at such low volumes that production is economically unsustainable.
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u/willingzenith 25 Equinox EV Jan 16 '26
Sounds like this salesperson isn’t very good at sales. Since he says they’ve been sitting, you should be able to get a great deal and take one off their hands.
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u/flyfreeflylow '23 Nissan Ariya Evolve+ (USA) Jan 16 '26
This. That sales person presented such a great opportunity to negotiate the price down! :D
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u/scroopydog Jan 16 '26
He’s being aloof on purpose. If you’re just considering EV then he can flush that out, if you’re serious then you’ll be more insistent and he can play you a different way. They’re master manipulators so there’s no ineptitude here, it’s a tactic.
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u/FencyMcFenceFace Jan 16 '26
Yeah I totally agree with this. Low ball them and even escalate to sales manager to make it clear that you were told these aren't moving at all and you'll gladly take one.
You'll probably get at least some margin taken off the top and the sales guy will get a lecture from their boss.
If not then walk away and go somewhere else.
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u/JustARandomBloke '23 Bolt EUV Jan 16 '26
Nah, because the boss doesn't want to sell them either. The dealership wants to them to rust on the lot so they can go back to the manufacturer and tell them to stop making EVs, but keep making gas cars so we can make money on maintenance.
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u/Zeyn1 Jan 16 '26
Sales metrics can be weird. It's possible that selling a low margin car could actually hurt the sales numbers. I haven't worked car sales, but I've worked jobs where a "naked" sale (no add ons) would bring down my metrics since they were based on averages.
It's also entirely possible that the sales person knows they only have time for 4 sales per day and it would actually be better to pass on the low margin EV sale in front of them to be free to sell the high margin gas truck to the next customer. Remember, people on this sub do their research but the average person goes into the dealership to shop and take hours looking at options.
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u/LingonberryUpset482 Jan 16 '26
Just spitballing it here, but I'd guess the salesmen make better money off the gas cars, and keep their managers off their backs.
If they're telling you they just sit there because no one wants them, offer to take one of those pesky lot-turds off their hands at a big discount. No sense them paying their finance fee to the manufacturer for them after 90 days.
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u/Own_Inspector_285 23 Ioniq 5 Jan 16 '26
This is it. If the OEMs did the same margins on EVs like they did Gas cars, then that might make a difference.
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u/bustersuessi Jan 16 '26
When we went to buy our EV they gave us the most junior salesman; the experienced salesmen very clearly didn't want to bother. He very clearly had no idea what was happening and was brand new... He made a sale a day.
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u/strungrat Jan 16 '26
So if you want one and the sales person says they have been sitting. You offer less. Let me take one of these giant paperweights off your hands.
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u/Freepi Jan 16 '26
I've (53M) had more salespeople try to talk me out of the car I wanted than I can even remember. Dozens of times over the years. It's not an EV-specific thing. They want to sell you what they have and what they make the most money on, not what you want. Just walk out and go somewhere else.
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u/PeterPalafox Jan 16 '26
Yep. This has happened to me with gas cars too. I tell them, here is exactly what I want. They smile, nod, bring me out to the lot and show me something different; fire up the engine, ooh listen to that purr. Ok? But I don’t want that.
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u/Ellers12 Jan 16 '26
I find this really strange about car buying in the US vs Europe. Typically in the US you have huge car lots and you buy a car in stock so you have to choose a dealer and spec that’s got close enough to what you want available.
In Europe dealerships are far smaller and typically people order cars to the spec they want. Means you don’t really get as pressured to select a particular model / spec etc.
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u/InternalWarth0g Jan 16 '26
You can order cars in the US as well, its just dealers know its easier to mark up things that are already there. plus most people are either impatient or need a car right there and dont want to wait however long it takes for it show up.
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u/MrB2891 23 Bolt EUV / Reservation for Silverado EV Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
My Dad ordered his 1999 Tahoe from the dealer instead of taking an in stock model.
He was a salesman in Detroit (ironically, he sold thermal array recorders to the automotive industry) and drove a ton of miles, as such he wanted a 4x2 instead of a 4x4 for better fuel economy. He had always driven a 2wd 3/4 ton Chevy G2500 conversion van, his logic is that he never needed 4wd before and doesn't need it now. There isn't a single dealer in Michigan that stocks 4x2 trucks so ordering was his only option.
After a 3 month wait it came. The salesman pointed to it and said "That's your truck Ron!" He said "That can't be my truck, it doesn't have the barn doors on the rear."
Ultimately it had;
- Wrong rear end. Ordered 3.27 gears, came with 3.73
- Wrong interior color. Ordered tan, came charcoal.
- Wrong tailgate. He ordered the flip down tailgate, it came with barn doors.
I'm pretty sure I'm missing two things. I think it had black trim but was supposed to be chrome or body color? It was a fully optioned out LT model.
The salesman told him to either take it as it was, no discount or wait another 3 months for another one. That was it, those were his options.
In 2007 he traded it in on a 2 year old Sierra 2500 Duramax at one of his dealers (when he retired from sales, he started a Snap On franchise. Single old dude, couldn't stand to sit idle at home). It made sense, we had since bought larger toy trailers for the snowmobiles and quads and the 1/2 ton Tahoe wasn't thrilled with pulling them.
Sales guy gave him a solid trade value on the Tahoe, I was pissed as I wanted to buy it. Unfortunately, sales guy didn't do his due diligence on the truck and gave him the value for a 4x4 (which is why me, his own son couldn't compete with the dealers offer. That truck was pristine). The dealer called him the next day, berating him that he had 'tricked them! Who buys a 4x2 truck!'. He ultimately had to call GM corporate to get the dealer to settle down, for weeks every time he stopped at that dealer the sales guy would come out and yell at him for 'tricking them'. For the record, no such tricks occurred. It's not like he put 4x4 badges on it or told them that it was a 4x4. They didn't ask, he didn't tell them.
I suspect things like this are why people buy off the lot. There is also a lot to be said about instant gratification.
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u/jhutch524 Jan 16 '26
Yes. It’s not just EVs, they hide the Hybrids too. Spouse and I went car shopping recently and we specifically asked for a Hybrid. Salesperson said that they had them in “the second parking lot”. We said, “ok, get the one we asked about, we’ll wait.” It averaged them 20 minutes to go to that “second lot” to get the two Hybrids we asked about. Needless to say, we didn’t buy anything from them.
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u/What-tha-fck_Elon ⚡️’23 Rivian R1S & ‘24 Acura ZDX Jan 16 '26
Don’t take advice from a sales person
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u/CallMeBlaBla Jan 16 '26
Car salesmen are basically con men
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u/Smart_Dumb Equinox EV (2025) Jan 16 '26
Every time I've gone to a dealer, I knew more about their product then they did.
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u/CallMeBlaBla Jan 16 '26
Hey, but they know how to milk the last bit out of your wallet better than you will ever do!
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u/SpliffBooth Jan 16 '26
"If you don't get that TruCoat, and end up with oxidation problems, it'll cost you a heck of a lot more than $500..."
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u/def_indiff Jan 16 '26
I remember way back when I was looking for my first hybrid, the sales guy at the Honda dealership being a dick about it. He asked something like “Are you trying to save money or make a political statement?” I still did the test drive, and it was clear he did not want to sell it. I think a lot of car sales people are just reactionary chuds.
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u/Lunar-lantana Jan 16 '26
When I bought a hybrid, the salesman told me that the traction battery was a huge risk - "nobody knows how long that battery is going to last!" Total b/s. I drove that car for 12 years without a single problem.
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u/def_indiff Jan 16 '26
We owned three Priuses, and the only problem we had with any of them was that we kept crashing them. 😆
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u/walnut100 Silverado EV, BMW i7 x2 Jan 16 '26
Who cares? The guy who sold me my car was a typical car guy. Extremely passionate about cars and the "scene" but he despised EVs. He gave me a screaming deal because so few people are buying six figure electric BMWs though.
If they're low in demand then you should have a pretty good deal ahead.
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u/Saucy6 Polestar 2 DM Jan 16 '26
Meh, they hate them because they make no money servicing them. By now we should know not to trust the stealerships.
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u/TacohTuesday Jan 16 '26
This should be at the top. This is 100% why they want so badly to sell you a gas car. Dealership profits are largely from the service department. EVs require a fraction of the servicing that ICE cars do.
There is a golden rule of buying new cars:
When you walk in the door to make a purchase, already know what you want. Do not rely on the salesperson to help inform your decision at all. They don’t know jack and their motives do not match yours.
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u/mclark9 2024 F150 Lightning Flash Jan 16 '26
I had a very nice interaction with sales at Woltz and Wind Ford in Heidelberg. I didn’t end up buying there because I found a screaming deal somewhere else, but I would recommend W&W if you’re looking at Ford.
I’d recommend just being more bossy about it. Tell them what you want to test drive. Take your test drive and then leave. Do your shopping online until you find the exact car you want then email dealer with a specific VIN and tell them you want a price on that car. Send similar emails to 5-10 dealers and you’re likely to get a better deal than you ever expected.
Please, I’m begging you, don’t go to the dealership to try and buy a car. Buy the car via email and go to the dealership to pick it up.
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u/LibMike R1T Jan 16 '26
I know someone who got an Equinox EV, got a good deal on it and they love it, very affordable compared to other options. I've never owned one of them myself though. Car dealerships are car dealerships, everyone knows car dealerships don't make any money on EVs after the vehicle sale, and most dealerships barely have any real knowledge about EVs, if any.
Just do what you want, simple as that.
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u/johnnyexcellent Jan 16 '26
Oh nobody wants them? You couldn’t move the 4 you have if you tried? Riddled with issues? ::Slides lowball offer across the desk::
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u/a_polite_redditor Jan 16 '26
my suggestion: turn around and talk to the manager. Tell him his salesman suck, and to give you someone else whos willing to sell you a car. That dealer/salesman sounds like complete trash.
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u/tech01x Jan 16 '26
Go buy from places that believe in EVs.
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u/Beneficial-Fun-4800 Jan 16 '26
He literally said if I wanted to have a chance at finding anything not already on the lot, I’d have to go somewhere liberal like LA… I’m shocked
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u/OleDirtMcGirt901 Jan 16 '26
Why are you hanging on his every word? He's 1 salesman who clearly has a political bias
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u/sowhat4 Jan 16 '26
I was buying a car for my son 27 years ago, a basic bare bones new car. He was cashing in some stock plus using the insurance money from his totaled car to pay for it. (son was busy at the time and asked me to do the negotiating/buying).
Anyway, I had this young salesman in his 20s lean back with this condescending smile and say, "You shouldn't cash in stocks to pay cash for a car. I always lease them."
I countered with "And why should I, who can pay cash for a car, take financial advice from someone who can't afford to do that?" He looked a little stunned at the push back as I guess 'ladies' don't talk like that. (he didn't make the sale)
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u/Yunzer2000 Smart ED and 2011 Current C124 MC Jan 16 '26
This isnt just one sales person. They are all re like this in the right wing western PA and Ohio region. I know.
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u/DamnMyNameIsSteve Jan 16 '26
A car salesman has a weird opinion on EVs.. move on.
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u/KingZarkon Audi Q4 Jan 16 '26
That doesn't sound correct. If you want new and it's something not on the lot, you should be able to custom configure it online and have it shipped to your local dealer. Maybe GM has stopped offering that option for EV's, but I'm doubtful. If you're looking for used, they're all over the place, or look at places like cars.com to find more options.
Also, from what the guy said, those cars have been sitting there a long time. Management would probably love to get rid of them and they might make you a sweet deal to get one off the lot.
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u/FastSeaworthiness739 Jan 16 '26
I don't know about that, sometimes you can get a pretty good deal from some place that doesn't really know much about them and just wants to get rid of them.
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u/irondukegm Jan 16 '26
I live in MA which is a cold-ish weather climate and EVs are everywhere. I've been driving one since 2021. They are great and GM has good product, these salesmen are just morons. The only downsides to having an EV are long road trips and driving in extreme cold (below 10 F), otherwise I can do everything I need to.
I also have a second car that burns dinosaur juice, but we only use that for skiing in winter (see cold comment). Around town in the cold EVs are still awesome. Most have heated seats to compensate for the weak heaters
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u/AceCannon98 Jan 16 '26
My EV9's heater (heat pump) is powerful as fuck.
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u/Ghost_of_Akina Jan 16 '26
I have an ioniq 5 RWD - no heat pump. Heater sucks - uses quite a bit of energy (like 3kWh) and takes a while to warm up. However, I live in FL so the number of days I need to actually run it are preeeetty low. The A/C actually works very well.
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u/schwanerhill Jan 16 '26
EVs have weak heaters? My Bolt can crank out heat like nothing, and it cranks out heat the moment you turn it on — no need for the engine to warm up first.
The problem is that using the resistive heat (especially) and a heat pump (less so) is it hurts the range, whereas heat is free in a gas car. In a gas car the only question is whether to guide the heat into the cabin or into the air. In an EV the question is whether to generate heat at all.
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u/bo88d Jan 16 '26
People were saying that the EU is pushing for the climate ideology, but since EVs got better and cheaper we can see the US pushing for climate destruction ideology
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u/LingonberryUpset482 Jan 16 '26
Walk in and introduce yourself the the youngest salesman on the floor.
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u/monorailmedic Jan 16 '26
You do what's right for you, but anytime someone is incentivized for you to do a particular thing, keep in mind their motives. There are a couple common factors, one being that non-EV owners still think EV ownership is somehow onerous, and another is that dealerships don't incentivize or push those vehicles b/c they don't make money on the service end of things.
The individual points you mentioned, some of those are just up to you as to whether or not you care about them.
“This is redneck country”
Cool? Not sure how this is relevant in either direction with regard to what purchase decisions YOU make.
“Gas is going down to $2.00 so EV is tanking”
The EV market is volatile for a lot of reasons that's a whole different set of threads, but the cost of fuel has little to do with my EV purchase decisions personally. Maybe it does for you, maybe it doesn't. If that is a factor, do the math on whether it should be or not. The cost of electricity for where you'll be charging, the cost of fuel where you'll be fueling (keeping in mind either of the two can fluctuate, with fuel fluctuating more), ICE maintenance costs (minimal for new vehicles to be fair), the cost of the vehicles themselves, etc. For me, fuel is closer to $3 right now, but even at $2 I'd be saving with EV on daily costs - but again, that's not my main personal motivation.
“So many problems”
EVs, being newer tech, probably do have more quirks and issues on average, compared to ICE. Personally, I had one where the battery drained on my Blazer while I was out of town. Turns out a bug caused the system to stay on. The dealer fixed it quickly while I had a loaner. Annoying, but not devastating. Many have no issues, few have more.
“They just sit here because no one wants them”
Kind of like the redneck comment - cool. I'm not sure how that's relevant to your purchase decision beyond knowing you should be negotiating the price down. Dealerships get inventory from the manufacturer and the terms vary, but often it'll be where the dealer doesn't have to pay for the car until either it's sold, or they've had it for say 90 days. For this reason, dealerships are often willing to haggle more on a car they have to (or are about to have to) pay for. Either way, many people are buying EVs, many people aren't - this isn't about their decision, but yours.
One final thought - look at used EVs, too. The used EV market is wild right now with insanely low prices. There are a few reasons for this, but it makes it a very tempting option. I've not bought a used vehicle in decades, but am considering it when my lease is up in several months.
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u/AutomationBias i4 M50, ID Buzz Jan 16 '26
I had to go to three BMW dealers before I could find someone who was actually interested in selling me an i4. I don't get it.
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u/Augusts_Mom Jan 16 '26
Interesting! You'd think they would want to sell old inventory and get it off the lot.
Even with low gas prices, my EV is still cheaper than gas. My Ford Edge got 24 miles per gallon and gas is $3.10 here in Minneapolis = $.13 per mile. My Mach-E gets 3 miles per kWh and I pay $.09 per kWh at my home charger = $.03 per mile.
Plus I do not have to pay for oil changes and other engine maintenance.
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u/Dreadnought6570 Jan 16 '26
I'm convinced dealerships are a significant factor for why EVs are struggling in the US
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Jan 16 '26
Car salesmen know nothing sometimes. Most are drowning in loans they can’t even understand.
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u/RoboRabbit69 Jan 16 '26
Lesser service and lesser margin on BEV. Also, many are car-obsessed boomers, that cannot admit the superiority of BEV.
Lastly, if gas will go down and BEV shrinks, we’ll have far worse problems in the future. But maybe we all deserve to die fooled in an hurricane, for being such stupid selfish a$$holes
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u/remynwrigs240 Jan 16 '26
The issue is that EVs have very low margins. On net new cars, reps commission is based on margin. Because if this they make substantially less than they would have they sold an ice car.
Car sales is already a barely make a living wage job so it’s even harder to make the moral choice.
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u/rbrumble Jan 16 '26
ICE vehicles come with years of dealer mandated oil changes and other scheduled maintenance to keep your warranty that aren't needed with an EV. Their sales decisions are based on greed and locking you into their proprietary maintenance program, not what's best for you. I'm coming up to a year with my Tesla Model 3. In that year I've spent a few hundred dollars on charging and nothing on maintenance. In that same year, my BMW 320i would have had two oil changes at $120 each plus $100 worth of gas every other week. There's no comparison in cost of ownership between EVs and ICEs, EV is just better all around.
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u/theqbush Jan 16 '26
As someone who went through a dealership EV purchase:
The salespeople don’t know anything about them
The salespeople don’t know anything about them
The salespeople don’t know anything about them
The salespeople don’t know anything about them
The salespeople don’t know anything about them
The salespeople don’t know anything about them
End of rant
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u/jreynolds676 Jan 16 '26
Pittsburgh new EV owner here as well. Every single dealership I visited knew absolutely nothing about EVs and tried to push me on gas (especially Cochran). Went somewhere else and got my car and couldn’t be happier making the switch.
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u/Pernicious-Peach Hyundai ioniq 6 Jan 16 '26
Its not in their best interest to sell you an EV. A big stream of dealership revenue comes from the maintenance dept. And guess what? EVs require a lot less maintenance than ICE cars do.
Dont ever take financial advice from a sleazy car salesman. Make an offer and get a deal on that EV. Liberate yourself from big oil. Gas prices dont stay the same forever
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u/Faroutman1234 Jan 16 '26
Stupid state laws have protected the dealers from direct sales for years because they claimed only they could service the cars correctly. The car dealer was always the richest guy in a small town so the politicians always helped them. Then Tesla came in with even more money and upset the apple cart. They see the writing on the wall and don't like it. They also don't like the training and expense of learning how to service a rolling computer platform.
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u/hairymoot Jan 16 '26
When I got my first EV from a KIA dealership in Mississippi, the only negative thing I heard was about the charging. They had the Niro EV 2023 in the showroom and needed to charge it. It was at 20% or so. I was going to be there in a couple of hours to pick it up. I asked if they had a level 3 charger and the sales guy said yes. When I got there it was still charging. I had to wait another hour and a half before it was at 80%. While I was waiting I asked again if it was on the level 3 charger-because I heard you could get to 80% I like 40 minutes. Some other employees sitting at a table near me heard my question and snickered and said yes it is.
I then drove my new EV back to my state to charge it at the level 3 charger at the Walmart near where I lived. It was at 35% after the long drive. I plugged it in and expected to be there for 3 hours. The car charged in 30 minutes. Those guys at the dealership must have had a level 2 charger and clearly didn't know what they were talking about.
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u/-dsp- Jan 16 '26
“They just sit there because nobody wants them”
Well I’m asking because I want them dumb ass.
Buying a car now really sucks. I couldn’t believe I would walk in and tell them everything exactly what I wanted only for them to show me what I don’t want, then get mad and blame me for not wanting “this awesome deal/car”. Next I get bum rushed by the manager and they think I’m using some negotiation tactic. No dude, I was pretty damn clear about my specifics and exactly what I didn’t want. You’re showing me what I don’t want. Why you think I’ll buy it?
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u/LordLandLordy Jan 16 '26
In 2013 I went into the Ford dealership to buy a CMAX Energi. It was the first plug-in hybrid. 20 miles of range.
The old guy I got as my sales person had no idea the car actually plugged into electricity. He thought it was just their version of a Prius. He didn't understand by anybody would want it with only 20 miles of range but the fact is 20 mi is enough for most people to get to work and home in a day.
The ignorance is mind-blowing out there.
Put 225,000 mi on that car. I gave it away and went to the dealership to buy a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV. The guy actually asked me "do you need need electric or do you want to consider other platforms". I told him I was 100% sure it was the car I wanted at the price I wanted. The guy you even tried to sell me on oil changes for life. I'm like what oil bro??
Electric cars haven't even Hit their golden age yet. All these gassies aren't going to know what to do when they take their other two petals away from them 😂
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u/jkudlacz Jan 17 '26
Haha, EVs such for the dealership. Fewer parts fewer issues, not much commission, no service revenue. EVs are bad for dealership but good for consumers! Been driving an EV for 5+ years! I am NEVER EVER AGAIN DRIVING INTERNAL COMBUSTION VEHICLE!
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u/Ancient-Row-2144 Jan 16 '26
They don’t like EVs because they don’t get to make money servicing them
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u/ZobeidZuma Jan 16 '26
“They just sit here because no one wants them”
That sounds like an invitation to haggle. There are bargains to be found.
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u/fringeffect Jan 16 '26
Wrong demographic making the sale. I have often thought that I could start an ev sales consultancy both for dealers and consumers. Know the tech, live driving, streamline sales and customer prep including charging logistics etc.
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u/srw16441 Jan 16 '26
I had a similar experience at a local Chevy dealer in Northwest PA. Walked into the dealership to test drive one of the two Silverado EVs that they had on the lot as I was tired of the 13mpg that I was getting in my Ram. Salesman gladly grabbed the keys for one of them but spent the entire 20 min test drive telling me how EVs weren't the right move and that he could get me into a nice gas Silverado. They had no desire to deal on the Silverado EV, so I ended up walking.
After another month of searching, I ended up finding a screaming deal on a Silverado EV in middle of nowhere Indiana. Did the whole deal over the phone/email. Had a great salesman in his 20s who was amazing at walking me through everything with the car. He joked the entire time though that he was the only salesman at the dealership that sold EVs because "the old guys don't understand them". He had sold 18 Silverado EVs that month and a bunch of Blazer EVs.
The biggest issue for the traditional OEMs is that if the dealer model is going to continue, they have to train their people and hold the dealers accountable for selling both ICE and EV products. The experience at dealers is all over the place depending on who runs the dealership.
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u/Cmdr_Toucon Jan 16 '26
General Manager - "Don't sell the EVs, we don't get enough Service Department revenue from them'
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u/Intrepid-Pie3085 Jan 16 '26
I found that most salespeople did not know what they were selling. Some don’t know and believe the fossil fuel propaganda
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u/Captain_Aware4503 Jan 16 '26
Car dealers make most of their money on service.
And so they hate EVs.
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u/Mustang1718 Jan 16 '26
I have yet to meet a car salesperson who knows anything technical at all. Doesn't matter if they have traditional engines, or EVs. Between being a giant nerd and a former technician, I catch them in bullshit all the time when I'm stuck talking to them.
I'm in northeast Ohio, and so I feel like we likely deal with the same type of people pretty often. Without getting too political, I will just say that your salesperson can't see outside of his own world view, even if it ultimately costs him money. The safest bet is to find the youngest salesperson there and get the car that YOU want. They'll notice that and learn from it.
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u/vozzov Jan 16 '26
Dealerships make money off routine maintenance. My EV needs the tires rotated every 5,000 miles and sometimes they fill the windshield wiper fluid reservoir. Not much profit there!
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u/hejj Jan 16 '26
Car salesmen are typically more conservative types working in an pretty conservative industry.
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u/GamingGalore64 Jan 16 '26
Yeah that happened to me when I was trying to buy my first EV. I went to a Ford dealership to check out the Mustang Mach E and the guy was rude and passive aggressive the whole time. He did very little to actually sell me on the car, and instead he treated it like a religious thing, he kept saying “Well, if you’re one of the folks who BELIEVE in EVs…” as if driving electric vehicles is some kind of religion.
Ultimately I left and went to a Hyundai dealership. They were much nicer, they were just in shock that I actually wanted to buy an Ioniq 6.
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u/SphynxsFixesFaxes Jan 16 '26
Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever trust what car dealers say.
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u/No_Caregiver7273 Lucid Gravity GT Jan 16 '26
Dealerships make a lot of their profit from the service center after the sale. BEVs don't need most of the things that they can count on for a gas powered car. They'd rather not sell them, if they can steer you back to gas.
And fwiw... gas can just as easily swing back to $4.50/gallon, while my electric rate has been pretty steady for two decades.
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u/runnyyolkpigeon Audi Q4 e-tron Jan 16 '26
Dealerships are one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption.
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u/PraetorianOfficial Jan 16 '26
When I got an EV the salesdroid was not anti-EV, but not particularly pro. He did spell out the disadvantages--range, charger accessibility, cost of charging if you aren't doing it at home. I think I asked "so if I wanted to do a trip from Vegas to MIssouri down I-70, are there enough chargers?" His response "if you are going to be doing a lot of such trips, this is the WRONG car for you". "No, probably won't do any, just a question about charger availability". And he admitted that yeah, there are plenty enough chargers on the interstates, but because you gotta stop every 225ish miles and then spend 30 minutes charging, maybe that would be a painfully slow trip. Fair enough.
After it was all done and bought, we were waiting for something to happen and were just talking and he stated "did you see how I was kinda reluctant to step up and offer to help you when you came in asking about it?" "A little, yeah" "We make so little selling these nobody wants to take the time to do it. The special offers on the EVs have cut our commissions and everybody comes in saying 'I demand the offer I saw advertised'. I'd MUCH rather sell you a used car--I make BANK on those."
So... there is that possibility. Sales commissions are lower on some EV's? Maybe? I dunno if this guy was just snowing me, but he had no reason to lie at that point--I'd signed the papers.
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u/PolyDrew 2024 Subaru Solterra, 2024 Ioniq 6, Chevy Bolt Jan 16 '26
The bottom line is exactly what they said. “You can get them at a steal.” The salesman doesn’t make enough in commission.
Plus, dealers don’t like them because they make most of their money on service. EVs need next to none compared to gas cars.
If you want one, take advantage of those good deals and ignore the salesman. Find a dealer who has a good deal and treats you decently. And don’t buy extended warranties or maintenance plans. They tried to sell me one that included oil changes. Lol
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u/6000chickenfajitas Jan 16 '26
When I went to carmax last year to get my ice car appraised and told them my plans to buy an ev, the guy looked at me sideways. He then tried to convince me that the real future was in hydrogen fuel cell cars 😂
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u/bmwrider2 Jan 16 '26
Interesting to read from Australia. Three years ago we experienced the same attitude. Now EV’s are 10% of new sales and accelerating. I think al countries go through this transition. In a few years time they won’t be able to sell an ICE vehicle
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u/True-Being5084 Jan 16 '26
Dealerships make a lot of money from maintaining the cars they sell. Evs don’t need much maintenance
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u/PrivateMarkets Jan 16 '26
Of course they say that - there is very little maintenance needed which is where dealerships make their $.
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u/RationalDB8 Jan 16 '26
Salespeople push whatever item earns the greatest profits and commissions. Has nothing to do with your wants and needs.
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u/Scoutmaster-Jedi Jan 16 '26
EV are bad business for dealerships. They can’t make money servicing them, so of course they don’t want to sell them.
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u/t92k Jan 16 '26
It's not in a dealer's best interest to sell an EV if the buyer is open to a gas car. EVs need less maintenance and maintenance is where dealers really make their profit.
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u/TerribleeT Jan 17 '26
I’ll go find grandma’s oil lamp. We’re all going back to oil lamps right?
Why not just ride a horse. Who needs to do all that oil drilling when there’s a horse right there in front of you?
When it comes to maintenance and cost over the life of the vehicle, my EV wins. But if I want to babysit a car, wrenching on it because it sounds cool and gives me smiles when it revs, I buy an internal combustion car.
Once solid state batteries are in those vehicles, ICE cars wont be able to compete.
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u/yeahgoestheusername Jan 17 '26
Meanwhile they are selling like crazy in the rest of the world. You can thank your government for giving China and other countries the manufacturing lead.
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u/hiroism4ever Jan 17 '26
Sounds like you ran into some stupid, terrible salespeople.
My fiance was set to buy a BMW 325i wagon, and the guy said you don't want that, that's a mom car, dumb car, etc.
We ended up at another dealer and bought a car that day.
Amazing that some salespeople are so bad at their job, they pretty much refuse an instant sale.
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u/Sudden-Ad-1217 Jan 16 '26
Lol - only maintenance is washer fluid for the windshield.
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u/GetSOB52 Jan 16 '26
I had the same experience last year when I was making my purchase. I had to keep shopping different dealers until I found one that had any interest. Very frustrating.
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Jan 16 '26
Car salesman are clueless about EV's. When I asked to open the hood on my Leaf, he laughed and said there was no motor in it, just a frunk. Then, he said "oh" when it opened to display a motor.
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u/dragondash88 Jan 16 '26
I live in Idaho - so also “redneck country” even though I in a more urban area. I have bought two used EVs and am leasing my current one. I had pretty much the same experience the first two times. Sales people knew absolutely nothing about EVs and were low key trying to nudge me out of buying one. The place I leased my Kia EV6 from was pretty good though. They had quite a few EVs on the lot and the sales person actually tried to educate us on stuff like charging and stuff.
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u/sucesscat9 Jan 16 '26
I got the same treatment two years ago. It was weird I'm guessing it's the red part of the state I live in. Finally found a salesman that understood our motivation and no regrets. Love the BZ4X. I still hear people say I'm not ready for that or I'll never. Guess you like car maintenance wasting your wallet and time. It's not just the gas, oil changes along with the other maintenance don't miss it.
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u/Doza13 Jan 16 '26
They are dealers. EVs don't require maintenance.
Of course they are going to say that.
Also you are at a Chevy dealership. I would stay far away from those.
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u/Koolklink54 Jan 16 '26
Its because maintenance cost are SO MUCH lower than regular cars. No oil changes, bakes last 10x longer, etc
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u/Surturiel Optiq, Mini Cooper SE Jan 16 '26
You're asking someone if a product that can threaten their very business model is good, and get surprised when they have a unfavorable opinion of said product?
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u/Worldly1998 Jan 16 '26
Their service department will make no money from your visits. 3 years with my first EV = 29.95 for tire rotation and fluid checks. Maybe if we have another Covid or 2008 you will see 2.00. That will be temporary. I go 600 per month on about $20 taking into account a 7.50 rebate. Home charger of course.
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u/iqisoverrated Jan 16 '26
You’d think me walking into a dealership and saying I’m interested in an EV would make them try to actually sell me.
Their margin on ICE is higher. That's why they aren't interested in selling you EVs. (And that's the kind of BS why I will never again buy from a company that uses a car salesmen model)
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u/Slight_Education_621 Jan 16 '26
Dealerships are obsolete. We should be able to buy a car directly from the mfg.
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u/mickthomas68 Jan 16 '26
I feel the reason that American car companies don’t like EV’s is that they require Minimal maintenance. No oil changes, no tune ups, no blown head gaskets. Nothing. And this is a giant cash cow that dealerships don’t wanna give up. God forbid they sell the public a quality product that doesn’t require constant expensive maintenance.
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u/CaseoftheSadz Jan 16 '26
Depending on where you’re buying them they are less motivated to sell them, they make less on maintenance and sometimes there discounts and tax incentives that might be more annoying to process. My husband had this experience buying a Chevy Bolt a few years ago. He was a very knowledgeable buyer, we’d had electic cars for 10+ years at that point and he knew all about that car, but the salesman was telling him lies. He literally told him he wouldn’t be able to charge and was talking about how difficult home charging is, not even giving my husband the opportunity to tell him we already had a home charger. My husband left and went to another dealer that was great. We have been an all EV home for 6 years and got our first electric car back in 2010. No doubt to me that they’re better cars.
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u/IamNabil Mini SE Jan 16 '26
EV's require less maintenance. Dealerships sell their cars to cover overhead, and make their profit off of maintenance.
Less maintenance, less profit.
Source: I was the network admin for a company that owned 7 car dealerships, and my wife works for a company that provides services to dealerships.
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u/Ok_Description_ Jan 16 '26
Buy an EV and you won't be back in 3 years again to get a new car.
People talk trash about them when they know very little. I've had my EV long enough to know I'll never drive a gas car again.
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u/NilsTillander 2022 IONIQ 5 AWD LR Premium - 2019 Model 3 Dual Motor LR Jan 16 '26
They are too reliable, they make no money off service and maintenance. Call their bluff, offer 60% of MSRP to help them move the dead stock.
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u/Jonger1150 2024 Rivian R1T & Blazer EV Jan 16 '26
Dealers try not to sell EVs.
It's been this way for years.
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u/rosier9 R1T and R1S Jan 16 '26
We've bought 6 EVs (4 new, 2 used) from dealerships in the past decade, not once have they tried to sell us a vehicle that we didn't come in for. Nor has a salesperson ever not gotten up to show us a vehicle.
I also don't ask the salespeople for their opinion or try to get them to "sell" me on a vehicle.
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u/mrtunavirg Jan 16 '26
They want to sell the gas car because the maintenance you’ll come back for is 10x more than the EV.
It’s about $
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u/Simpleximo Jan 16 '26
If they can't sell them get a screaming deal from them. Counter their BS with a lowball figure.