Swedes' trust in electric cars – Volvo ahead of Tesla

Swedes have the greatest confidence in Volvo when it comes to electric cars. But the lead over electric car giant Tesla is narrow, our Sifo survey shows.

Some might have expected market leader Tesla to be the automaker that garnered the most trust when it comes to electric cars, but in fact it is Volvo. Tesla is not far behind, however. There are only decimal places between the two. In the survey, 19.8 percent said they have the most trust in Volvo, while 18.9 percent chose Tesla.

Daniel Odsberg, Sales Manager Kvdbil , believes that Volvo is the brand that most people trust because it is a brand that we Swedes have long associated with security, safety and reliability.

“Volvo has been synonymous with high-quality cars for almost a hundred years. Now many expect them to maintain the same standard when it comes to electric cars,” he says.

Behind Volvo and Tesla, there is a fairly large jump down to Volkswagen and Toyota, who share third place (12%). Volvo-owned Polestar takes fifth place (10%) and Kia (9%) is in sixth place.

With the exception of Tesla and Polestar, however, trust in pure electric car manufacturers appears to be low. Brands such as Nio, BYD, Lynk & Co, MG and Maxus received no votes at all.

– These electric car brands have only been on the Swedish market for a few years, in some cases only one year. This is of course a huge difference compared to Volvo, a brand that almost all Swedes have a relationship with. Establishing trust takes time, says Daniel Odsberg.

Previous surveys conducted by Kvdbil show that the biggest concerns about electric cars, besides the availability of charging stations, concern the battery's lifespan, range and the impact of cold.

The car brands that lead the league of trust for electric cars

1. Volvo (20%)
2. Tesla (19%)
3. Volkswagen (12%)
3. Toyota (12%)
5. Polestar (10%)
6. Kia (9%)
7. BMW (4%)
8. Audi (3%)
8. Mercedes-Benz (3%)
10. Skoda (2%)

The question asked was: Which car brand do you have the most confidence in when it comes to electric cars?

Best-selling electric car models on the used market in 2023

1. Tesla Model 3
2. Nissan Leaf
3. Kia Niro
4. BMW I3
5. Volkswagen ID.3
6. Renault Zoe
7. Audi E-Tron
8. Volkswagen ID.4
9. Polestar 2
10. Volvo XC40

Source: Vroom

About the survey
The survey was conducted in Kantar Media's web panel (Sifopanelen) during the period 4–8 January 2024. A total of 1316 people aged 18-79 were interviewed, of which 1055 had access to a car. The web panel is nationally representative and recruited based on random selection. There is no self-recruitment in Kantar Media's web panel (Sifopanelen).