Photo Credit: iStockWhen military operations began in Iran in late February, gas prices in the United States jumped from about $3 per gallon to roughly $4.50 per gallon. That increase appears to have affected how at least some Americans approached buying a car.But the main winner was not fully electric vehicles — it was hybrids.What happened?The rise in oil prices pushed gasoline higher and added hundreds of dollars to the typical U.S. household's petroleum costs, prompting new questions about whether pricier fuel would nudge buyers toward plug-in vehicles.AdvertisementAdvertisementUsing Argonne National Laboratory sales data, Resources found that EV sales increased somewhat after February, but conventional hybrids saw a much stronger increase. From February to May 2026, the share of gasoline-powered vehicles in new sales fell from 80% to 76%.The analysis estimated that, during that span, about 56,000 households chose a hybrid or an EV instead of a gasoline vehicle. Roughly 38,000 selected conventional hybrids, while about 18,000 bought EVs.Among EV buyers, plug-in hybrids appeared to gain more momentum than fully electric vehicles. According to the Resources analysis, plug-in hybrid market share nearly doubled after the war began, climbing from 0.8% to 1.5%, while the all-electric share stayed mostly unchanged after an earlier decline tied to the September 2025 expiration of federal EV subsidies.Why does it matter?The numbers suggest that higher gas prices do push some households away from gas-only vehicles, though not necessarily toward the biggest possible break from gasoline.AdvertisementAdvertisementFor many shoppers, conventional hybrids and plug-in hybrids may seem like the easier compromise. They reduce fuel consumption and cut down on trips to the pump without requiring drivers to depend completely on public charging or battery-only range.Vehicle price still weighs heavily in EV buying decisions. As Resources noted, all-electric models reached nearly 12% market share in September 2025 as buyers rushed to use Inflation Reduction Act subsidies before they expired. After those incentives ended, EV share dropped to around 6% in the first two months of 2026, before the war began.In other words, expensive gas alone may not be enough to trigger a major EV surge. The choices consumers make still seem to depend heavily on upfront cost, charging availability, and confidence in the technology.What's being done?Even so, the analysis outlined several reasons EVs could still gain ground over time, despite hybrids' current advantage.AdvertisementAdvertisementOne possibility is that many shoppers think the current jump in gas prices will not last. If drivers expect fuel costs to come back down, a plug-in hybrid may look more appealing than a fully electric vehicle. Another is that consumers already considering EVs may care more about price, charging convenience, and vehicle quality than about day-to-day fuel savings.That dynamic could still end up helping EVs if battery prices keep falling and the technology continues to improve. Longer range, lower sticker prices, and easier charging could bring more buyers back to all-electric vehicles, even if gasoline prices ease.Maybe the United States "isn't yet at the point where driving costs are important for potential EV buyers," the Resources analysis concluded. But "as EV quality continues to improve, and if battery costs continue to decrease, US consumers may turn their attention to the lower driving costs of EVs."Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.