Right now, not many people drive EVs, but that’s changing very quickly as more folks buy electric vehicles and as EVs get cheaper overall. It’ll take a while before EVs truly replace gas-powered cars, but that time is coming, and what that also means is that kids and teens are destined to learn to drive with an EV. In fact, that’s what most parents expect right now, and the good news is that there are some excellent EV options for teen drivers.

The world is moving toward EVs at a fast pace

Climate change is the main reason EVs have surged in popularity, but soon, EVs will be the only option as far as new car sales go. That’s because, in many places, governments have already passed laws that will ban the sale of gas-powered cars by a specific date. In California, that date is 2035, and it’s a similar story in many European countries. 

Governments are doing a lot to encourage the purchase of EVs until then. President Biden recently signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which, among other things, makes it cheaper to buy an EV. The Inflation Reduction Act does that by extending the federal EV tax credit, which can reduce the cost of an EV by $7,500. It also added a new EV tax credit that can reduce the price of a used EV by $4,000. 

Parents think that it’s important that their kids learn to drive EVs

Incentives like that will be important, especially for teen drivers, as many families will likely buy a cheap used car for their teens. However, due to the current high prices of electric vehicles, most teens probably aren’t going to learn to drive in an EV, but their parents think that it’s a certainty. According to Cars, a recent survey showed that 74% of parents thought it’s “at least somewhat important” for teens to learn to drive in an EV.

That same survey showed that 56% of parents thought that all teens should learn to drive an EV within 10 years. On top of that, some schools already have in-school driver programs instructing teen drivers on EVs. That’s the case with a few public high schools in the Chicago area, and it’ll likely be the case in more schools in the near future. This training will be necessary as EVs can come with some unique features. 

EVs can be good for teen drivers

Automakers are constantly building new EVs to put on the market, but there are already some great EV options for teen drivers. For example, the Chevy Bolt is one of the cheapest EVs on the market right now. It starts at about $26,500, and that’s before any tax credits or incentives. In the future, a used Bolt will likely be even cheaper than that.

Despite that low price tag, the Bolt has several smart safety features. The website Cars wrote that smart safety features are something parents should look for when buying a car for their teen drivers. Driving can be challenging, and those smart safety features can help teen drivers while keeping them safe.

EVs also typically have fewer maintenance needs than gas-powered cars. This can be helpful as it means that teen drivers won’t have to worry about many of the minor maintenance issues that gas-powered cars have. Additionally, many EVs, including the Bolt, come with one-pedal driving. This unique feature of EVs can make the class easier to drive, so teen drivers may want to get accustomed to it.