Abstract:The decision to adopt a battery electric vehicle (BEV) can be influenced by a number of factors. Previous research has investigated the decision to adopt a BEV and has revealed a number of factors, including financial incentives, as being important for consumers. Recently high-end BEVs, such as the Tesla Model S, have been seeing market success, these vehicles are remarkably different to mainstream BEVs. The adopters of these BEVs have been overlooked within the literature, therefore this paper aims to understand who is adopting a high-end BEV, why they are and how important financial incentives may be for this group of adopters. Data on high-end adopters was gathered via a questionnaire survey, which yielded 540 responses and in-depth interviews with 33 adopters. It is found that environmental, performance and technological motivations are reasons for adoption and that the new technology brings into the market new segments of buyers. Additionally it is found that financial purchase incentives are not important in consumer's decision to adopt a high-end BEV.