As most consumers do not have pre-existing knowledge of electric vehicles (EVs), and current market conditions favour petrol and diesel vehicles, car dealership experiences may strongly influence EV purchasing decisions. Here, we show that car dealerships pose a significant barrier at the point of sale due to a perceived lack of business case viability in relation to petrol and diesel vehicles. In 126 shopping experiences at 82 car dealerships across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, we find that dealers were dismissive of EVs, misinformed shoppers on vehicle specifications, omitted EVs from the sales conversation and strongly oriented customers towards petrol and diesel vehicle options. Dealers' technological orientation, willingness to sell and displayed knowledge of EVs were the main contributors to likely purchase intentions. These findings combined with expert interviews suggest that government and industry signalling affect sales strategies and purchasing trends. Policy and business strategies that address barriers at the point of sale are needed to accelerate EV adoption.

由于大多数消费者不具备电动汽车（EV）的先前知识，并且当前的市场条件有利于汽油和柴油汽车，因此汽车经销经验可能会严重影响电动汽车的购买决策。在这里，我们表明，由于对汽油和柴油车缺乏商业案例的可行性，汽车经销商在销售点构成了重大障碍。在丹麦，芬兰，冰岛，挪威和瑞典的82个汽车经销店的126个购物经历中，我们发现经销商对电动汽车不屑一顾，对购物者误以为是车辆规格，在销售对话中忽略了电动汽车，并强烈地将客户导向汽油和柴油车选择。经销商的技术取向，销售意愿和展示的电动汽车知识是可能购买意愿的主要推动力。这些发现与专家访谈相结合，表明政府和行业的信号会影响销售策略和购买趋势。需要制定解决销售点壁垒的政策和业务战略，以加速电动汽车的采用。