Why electric cars might be making some passengers feel sick

Lola Baird has just asked her boyfriend to pull over.

Key points

• At the end of June 2026, 5.8% of all licensed cars on UK roads were zero-emission vehicles, the data demonstrates.
• Motion sickness typically peaks between the ages of eight and 10, after which it decreases through more exposure, notes Prof John Golding.
• It's something Dr Nicholas Hac, a neurologist at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago who specialises in dizziness and vertigo, has additionally heard from some of his patients.
• There are additionally things carmakers can do to alleviate motion sickness in electric vehicles, states Prof Cyriel Diels, professor of mobility design at the Royal College of Art.
• Lola, 24, from north London, had never experienced motion sickness until her boyfriend purchased an electric vehicle (EV) two years ago.

Lola Baird has just asked her boyfriend to pull over. Forty minutes into a journey and she's feeling "overwhelmed" by nausea – and can't stop herself throwing up on the ground next to his car.

Lola, 24, from north London, had never experienced motion sickness until her boyfriend purchased an electric vehicle (EV) two years ago. Ever since, she's been feeling "very nauseous" when he takes her on long car journeys.

It's become so severe she's even asked him to change his car.

Lola isn't alone. Other individuals informed BBC News that they or their children notice feeling more car sick when sitting as a passenger in an electric vehicle. But meanwhile, plenty of EV drivers say it's not been a concern. So what could explain these reports of motion sickness?

Dr Irene Di Giulio, senior lecturer in anatomy and biomechanics at King's College London whose research includes motion sickness, notes research so far suggests some residents experience more severe motion sickness in electric vehicles than in non-electric vehicles.

It's something Dr Nicholas Hac, a neurologist at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago who specialises in dizziness and vertigo, has additionally heard from some of his patients. "They just notice that they're much more likely or prone to be motion sick" in electric vehicles, he notes.

"I've heard about it many, many, many times, " he adds, saying regarding two patients a month specifically reference feeling motion sick in electric vehicles.

But research into any feasible link is still in its early stages, and some academics say there isn't sufficient evidence to say anything definitive.

Dr Bill Yates, who has researched motion sickness at the University of Pittsburgh, notes the body of research is "pretty sketchy at this point".

"There's some anecdotal information, but not a lot of really serious, extensive studies done yet, " he notes. 'Wonderful to drive. But my daughter gets unwell'.

When Mark Quigg was looking at options for a new car last year, an electric vehicle seemed like the best choice since of the lower running costs.

Mark, 45, from Lincolnshire, notes his shiny new electric vehicle has been "wonderful" to drive – but he swiftly noticed that his nine-year-old daughter's motion sickness obtained much worse in it.

She only applied to secure motion sick on their 600-mile drives to France during the school holidays, but now he notes even the 30-minute trip to the nearest city makes his daughter feel unwell.

On one recent journey, he notes his daughter even threw up. It had never happened before.

Motion sickness doesn't affect all EV passengers – plenty of owners secured in touch with BBC News to say they and their relatives don't obtain sick in electric vehicles. Others remarked they felt less sick in EVs compared with traditional combustion engine cars.

Vicky Edmonds, the CEO of EVA England, an association for electric vehicle drivers, notes motion sickness isn't a concern among her members. "This has never come up as an issue, " she notes.

But Chinese electric vehicle maker XPeng. It has showrooms throughout the UK, has previously publicly addressed the problem, external, telling individuals who've noticed a link between electric vehicles and travel sickness that "it's a fair question, and it's not your imagination". It's caused by "side effects of how electric cars are engineered, " it adds. What could cause it?

Motion sickness is caused by "a mismatch in sensory cues, " Hac notes. Our bodies rely on three main sensory inputs to show that we're moving. It come from what we see, what our inner ear's balance system perceives, and what fibres in our body sense, he notes. When one of these is in conflict with the others – like if you're looking at your phone so you don't see visual signs of movement out of the window – that can cause motion sickness.

Research suggests a number of reasons why it may be more severe in electric vehicles.

Humans have adapted to associate sound with movement in vehicles, experts explain. Since electric vehicles don't have the auditory cues and vibrations from the engine that we're employed to. It indicate when the car is accelerating, this could trigger motion sickness, Di Giulio notes.

Another reason is regenerative braking, the process whereby when drivers release the accelerator, the electric car starts to slow down and uses the energy to feed the battery. Nevertheless, it is a process that needs to be done smoothly with the accelerator being issued gently, or it can lead to harsh deceleration.

"It forces the person to perhaps feel like they're rocking back and forth for that brief moment when the speed of the car suddenly changes, " notes Hac.

This is something Carolyn Le, 24, from California, has noticed. She gets "horrendous" motion sickness when her friend drives her in his electric vehicle in busy cities, she notes. The regenerative braking means it "constantly feels like the car is stopping all the time".

Electric vehicles can additionally accelerate and decelerate much more swiftly than conventional combustion cars. It di Giulio notes can cause motion sickness.

Edmonds, of EVA England, notes developments in electric vehicle design have produced them better at moderating the acceleration so they don't gain speed as rapidly.

She adds that the association thinks motion sickness in an electric vehicle is caused by "other factors" like the motorist's driving style rather than the vehicle itself.

Some individuals are additionally just more prone to motion sickness, and genetics have the biggest influence on this, Hac notes. Women and children are more susceptible, experts say.

Motion sickness typically peaks between the ages of eight and 10, after which it decreases through more exposure, notes Prof John Golding. This person has researched the subject at the University of Westminster, the Royal Navy and the RAF. Hold your head still and open the window.

As their popularity increases, avoiding electric vehicles can be a challenge – the number of new zero-emission cars registered in the UK rose by 40.5% in April to June 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, latest Department for Transport figures show., external.

At the end of June 2026, 5.8% of all licensed cars on UK roads were zero-emission vehicles, the data demonstrates. The sale of new purely petrol or diesel cars is due to be banned from 2030.

Lucinda Harrison, 24, from London notes she often books taxis that turn out to be electric vehicles, and has to endure the trip feeling nauseous, sweaty and clammy.

Meanwhile, the thought of travelling in an EV fills her with dread, she notes. Even just a five-minute lift from a colleague to a Tube station lately was enough to produce her feel "horrific".

Academics say there are a number of steps passengers can take to reduce feelings of motion sickness.

Experts additionally say we can become desensitised to motion sickness through prolonged exposure. The more journeys you take in electric vehicles, the less probable you are to become motion sick as your body adjusts, Golding states.

There are additionally things carmakers can do to alleviate motion sickness in electric vehicles, states Prof Cyriel Diels, professor of mobility design at the Royal College of Art. These include having software that smooths out rapid acceleration, adding sound systems and subtle seat vibrations to signal to passengers that the car is moving, and offering adaptive regenerative braking that reduces sudden deceleration.

Matt Adams from BEAMA, which represents UK manufacturers of electric vehicle charge points, notes he's confident that "if future research identifies the reason for car sickness that vehicle manufacturers can respond and improve accordingly".

But for Lola, she just wants her boyfriend to trade in his car. She notes that day can't come shortly enough.

Are you an EV driver or have been a passenger in an EV? Have you experienced nausea due to motion sickness? Tell us your story.

In short, why electric cars might be making some passengers feel sick is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.