Barely 5% of French people go on holiday in an electric car, but 27% would like to try it out by renting one.

Towards a new electric summer on the roads? With more and more French people driving electric cars and numerous charging stations available at motorway service stations, this 2025 season is expected to break new records.

Across all engine types, the car remains by far the most popular mode of transportation. Just over one in two French people (54%) plan to go on vacation this summer, and among them, 75% will choose to travel by car, according to the second edition of the OpinionWay barometer for Drivalia*, Crédit Agricole's mobility solutions subsidiary.

But 30% of French people also say they now favor more environmentally friendly options. This is a major concern among young people aged 18 to 34, among whom this rate rises to 80%.

Car rental can thus allow 27% of French people to test an electric car, a figure up 4 points compared to last year. It's also an opportunity to find a vehicle better suited to their destination: a small, easy-to-park city car, for example, which can be rented after their train journey (chosen by 19% of French vacationers) or plane journey (21%).

However, the estimate of the average budget spent on this car rental over a week has dropped significantly compared to 2024, going from 365 euros to 281 euros.

Another OpinionWay study, for Point S maintenance centers, published a little earlier, showed a certain decline in the use of individual cars, chosen by 60% of vacationers, or 15 points less than in 2020. Car sharing is gaining ground with 6% of respondents considering carpooling, an increase compared to last year.

"We are seeing significant use of carpooling among 18-24 year-olds, with 19% using it compared to 3 to 5% in other age groups. This trend will undoubtedly continue in the years to come," explains Frédéric Micheau, deputy general manager of Opinion Way, quoted in the press release.

Among those who travel with a private car, 82% remain loyal to combustion engines and 12% to hybrids. The proportion of electric holidaymakers therefore remains fairly low, at 5%, but 3 points higher than in 2023.

*Study conducted on a sample of 1,053 people from June 11 to 12, 2025