If car rides make you queasy, you might want to steer clear of riding in an electric vehicle.
On TikTok, content creators are sharing videos that have racked up millions of views in recent months, complaining of nausea from taking trips in electric vehicles (EVs).
Filming from the back of a Tesla—one of the most popular EVs in the U.S.—creator Kristin Turner said that she was taking deep breaths to avoid getting carsick, and that the Uber ride was the “longest bumpiest hour of [her] life.”
And tens of thousands of users in the comments seem to agree, with some even sharing that they experienced car sickness for the first time in an EV.
So, can electric cars actually make you ill—or more carsick than traditional cars? Here’s what experts had to say.
Car sickness falls under the umbrella of motion sickness, which can also happen on planes, trains, boats, or even when playing video games or using virtual reality (VR) simulators. Anyone can get motion sickness, but it’s more common in women and in younger kids—motion sickness actually peaks around age 9.
Motion sickness is very common, and most people have experienced it at least once, Behrang Keshavarz, PhD, motion sickness expert, senior scientist at the University of Toronto KITE Research Institute, and adjunct professor of psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University, told Health.
If you experience car sickness, it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with your health. Rather, it’s a “normal physiological response” that happens when there’s a disconnect between what your body is experiencing and what your brain thinks it’s experiencing, said Brynna Connor, MD, a family medicine physician based in Austin, Texas, and healthcare ambassador for NorthWestPharmacy.com,
“When I turn my head from left to right, I have my eyes that tell me I did that motion. I have my sense of balance that tells me that, and [I] have information from my muscles and joints,” Keshavarz explained. “Usually those three systems signal the same thing, no problem at all. But now when you get motion sickness, the theory is that there’s a mismatch between at least two of these systems.”
Oftentimes, what’s missing is that visual input of not being able to see the horizon ahead. That’s why people often report feeling more carsick when they’re riding in the back of a car as opposed to the front.
That also explains why drivers and pilots don’t get motion sickness, John Golding, DPhil, motion sickness researcher and professor of applied psychology at the University of Westminster, told Health. They can see bumps, turns, or other changes ahead—all of which are sensory inputs that give the brain necessary information about what the body is currently experiencing.
“Because you’re in control, you can anticipate the motion, and the activity of the car almost becomes an extension of your body,” he said.
Motion sickness can happen in any number of scenarios, but it is true that EVs can make people more carsick, experts said—even people who don’t normally get sick in gas-fueled cars.
While there’s no one exact cause of EV-related sickness, there are a few possible explanations:
- Regenerative braking: EVs use a different braking system than gas-powered vehicles. “With regenerative braking, the car is slowed by converting kinetic energy into stored battery energy,” Connor told Health. “This system can feel jerky or abrupt, especially if the driver is inexperienced with the feature.”
- Faster acceleration and deceleration: Teslas and other EVs can speed up faster than traditional cars. Again, if the driver has less experience with electric cars, “this abrupt starting and stopping can potentially create more intense and disorienting sensations” for passengers, Connor said.
- Lack of engine noise: A quiet engine may sound like a benefit, but “the quiet nature of EVs means your ears may not pick up on the motion cues you’d typically hear in a gas-powered car,” Connor explained. That missing auditory input might be enough to make you feel sick.
- Floating or swaying sensation: Anecdotally, people online have shared that driving in an EV makes them feel like they’re floating, or on a boat. This perception of smoother, low-frequency up-and-down motion can cause issues for some people, Golding explained. For example, people don’t get “horse sick” or “jogging sick”—that motion is much higher frequency, he said. But you can get sea sick, and there have even been reports of “ski sickness on undulating ski slopes” or “camel sickness,” since the animal has a “slow, swaying motion,” Golding said.
Unfortunately, there is no guaranteed way to prevent car sickness, Keshavarz said. But there are some steps you can take to minimize your risk.
Over-the-counter medications to avoid motion sickness, such as Dramamine (dimenhydrinate), can be good options, particularly if you’re traveling for a longer time. However, they can take at least 30 minutes to work and often make people very drowsy.
“When you’re on an overnight flight and you’re prone to air sickness, you can do that and just go to sleep,” said Keshavarz. “But if you have a 10-minute Uber drive, you don’t want to necessarily take medication.”
So there are other things you can try, too:
- Ride in the front passenger seat instead of the back seat. Being able to clearly see the road ahead can lessen the potential for getting carsick. If possible, you could also opt to drive instead. (Unfortunately, neither is an option for small children.)
- Choose to ride in a gas-fueled vehicle instead of an EV when possible. Since electric cars can sometimes make people more prone to car sickness, pick a non-EV option when you’re using a rideshare app.
- Don’t read, scroll on your phone, or use a tablet in the car. Looking at a stationary object while the body feels like it’s in motion can confuse the brain and trigger car sickness, Keshavarz said.
- Quell queasiness with ginger products. “Evidence has shown ginger candies or chews may help reduce nausea,” Connor explained.
- Get some fresh air. If you’re experiencing nausea, open the car window to let in a breeze. If you’re on a longer car trip, take breaks when needed to walk around a bit outside.
- Try acupressure. “Pressing on the P-6 pressure point on your inner wrist may also help relieve nausea, and it’s an easy, non-invasive method to try,” said Connor.
