The Impact of Policy Incentives on the Purchase of Electric Vehicles by Consumers in China’s First-Tier Cities: Moderate-Mediate Analysis

Pei Chen, Mohamad Hisyam Selamat and See-Nie Lee ()
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Pei Chen: Graduate School of Business (GSB), SEGi University, Petaling Jaya 47810, Selangor, Malaysia
Mohamad Hisyam Selamat: Graduate School of Business (GSB), SEGi University, Petaling Jaya 47810, Selangor, Malaysia
See-Nie Lee: Faculty of Business Management, Easy Asia Institute of Management, Singapore 329975, Singapore

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: With the rapid development of China’s electric vehicle industry, the influence mechanism of government policies on consumers’ purchase intentions has become a research focus. This study integrates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and SOR theory to propose four key driving factors: policy incentive, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and test drive experience. Through stratified random sampling of 400 valid questionnaires in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, four cities with a high penetration rate of electric vehicles, the structural equation model (SEM) was used for empirical analysis. The results show that policy incentives have a significant impact on purchase intentions and play a mediating role through perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use; driving experience moderates the effects of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on purchase intentions. Based on the research results, this paper proposes a three-stage policy optimization path: strengthening the accuracy of fiscal and tax incentives in the short term, improving the visual construction of the charging network in the medium term, and establishing a network of test drive experience centers in the long term. The research conclusions provide a theoretical basis for the government to formulate differentiated electric vehicle promotion strategies and propose a “policy-technology-service” three-dimensional implementation plan for enterprises to optimize product design and improve user experience, so as to help the sustainable development of China’s electric vehicle market.

Keywords: electric vehicles; policy incentives; test drive experience; consumer purchase intention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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