You’ve probably heard bold claims that electric cars will replace gas cars “by 2030” or that internal combustion engines are already “dead technology.” Reality is more complicated. EVs are surging, but gasoline isn’t vanishing next decade, and that nuance matters if you’re deciding what to buy now, especially a used vehicle.
Key Takeaway
Electric vehicles are on track to dominate new car sales in many markets within the next 10–20 years. But gasoline cars will stay on the road for decades, especially in the used market. The question isn’t if EVs will become the default, it’s how fast that transition happens where you live.
Will EVs Replace Gas Cars? The Short Answer
In New Car Sales
On current trajectories, electric vehicles (EVs) are very likely to become the majority of new car sales globally sometime in the 2030s, with some regions hitting that point earlier and the U.S. somewhat later. That means if you walk into a showroom in, say, 2035, most of what’s on offer will be electric.
On the Road Overall
Car fleets turn over slowly. The average vehicle in the U.S. now lasts 12–15 years. Even if EVs dominate new sales, millions of gas cars will still be driving around into the 2040s and 2050s. So EVs will increasingly replace gas cars at the margin, but full “extinction” of gasoline is a multi-decade story.
Think in Two Timelines
When you ask whether electric cars will replace gas cars, separate new car sales (what automakers build) from the fleet on the road (what people actually drive). Policy and technology hit new sales first; the fleet takes much longer to follow.
Where We Are Today: EV vs Gas in Numbers
EV Adoption and Infrastructure Snapshot (Through 2024)
Globally, EVs have moved from niche to mainstream. Electric cars accounted for well over 20% of new global car sales by 2024, and forecasts expect that to exceed 25% in 2025. The U.S. is behind that curve, EVs are about 10% of new light‑duty vehicle sales, but the direction is the same: up.
On infrastructure, the U.S. had roughly 204,000 public and workplace chargers at the end of 2024, and deployment has been growing around 25% per year. That’s still far from “chargers everywhere,” but it’s a very different landscape than even five years ago, and private investments from automakers, truck stops, and retailers are layering on top of federal programs.
Beware of One-Number Myths
You’ll see simple claims like “EVs are 20% of sales, so gas will be dead in 5 years.” That ignores vehicle lifespans, regional differences, and policy risk. The transition is real, but it’s not a light switch.
What Forecasts Say About EV Adoption
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Most serious forecasts now agree on one core point: EVs will keep gaining share even under conservative policy assumptions. The disagreements are mostly about how fast, and where.
Three Ways Analysts Model the Future
Different scenarios, same basic direction: more EVs, fewer gas cars over time.
Policies As They Are
Under current policies already on the books, major energy agencies expect around 40% of global car sales to be electric by 2030. In this world, gas cars still sell, but they steadily lose share.
Stronger Climate Push
If governments fully implement their climate pledges, EV adoption accelerates: roughly half or more of new car sales globally could be electric by the mid‑2030s, pushing combustion into a shrinking niche.
Net-Zero Pathways
In aggressive climate scenarios, EVs reach 90–95% of new car sales by the mid‑2030s. That’s essentially a functional replacement of gas in new car markets, even though legacy vehicles stay in use.
Even in the more cautious outlooks, the global stock of EVs is expected to reach roughly 15% of all vehicles on the road by 2030, up from low single digits today. In other words, we’re still in the early innings of fleet turnover, even as new sales change quickly.
The U.S. Will Likely Lag Global Averages
Because of political swings, larger vehicles, and consumer price sensitivity, most forecasts now show the U.S. at ~20% EV share of new car sales by 2030, noticeably lower than global averages. That still means millions of EVs sold each year, but gas models keep a significant slice of the market into the 2030s.
China and Europe Move Faster
China already leads the world in EV adoption, with some urban markets where EVs are the majority of new sales. Europe’s CO₂ standards are also pushing automakers to electrify quickly. In those regions, it’s plausible that new gas car sales become rare sometime in the 2030s, with plug‑in hybrids and EVs dominating.
EVs are not a fad; they’re the industry’s main path to meeting tightening emissions rules and staying competitive. The real uncertainty is how evenly the transition unfolds across regions and income levels.
Will Governments Ban Gas Cars, and When?
One big reason people wonder whether electric cars will replace gas cars is the wave of combustion engine phase‑out targets. Dozens of national and regional governments have proposed or adopted dates after which new combustion-only vehicles can’t be sold.
Selected Phase-Out Targets for New Gasoline and Diesel Cars
These policies focus on <strong>new sales</strong>, not banning the use of existing gas cars.
| Region | Target Year | What Happens | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | 2035 | New cars must be zero-emission at the tailpipe (with limited exceptions). | Allows synthetic-fuel niche; actual market likely even more electric by then. |
| United Kingdom | 2030–2035 | Ban on new pure gas/diesel in 2030; hybrids allowed until 2035. | Recently tweaked but still points toward an all‑zero‑emission endpoint. |
| California (and aligned U.S. states) | 2035 | 100% of new light‑duty vehicle sales must be zero-emission or plug‑in hybrid. | Other states representing a sizable share of the U.S. market follow similar rules. |
| Canada | 2035 | All new light-duty vehicles zero-emission. | Interim targets in the 2020s and early 2030s. |
| Various U.S. federal rules | Late 2020s–2030s | Stricter emissions and fuel economy rules that make gas-only models harder to sell profitably. | Exact impact depends on political control and implementation. |
Dates and designs may change as politics and technology evolve, but the policy direction is clear: ratchet down combustion over time.
