The parking lot glows under bright street lights as engines rumble to life, one after another. A deep roar cuts through the night, followed by the sharp sound of tires spinning against concrete. The smell of gasoline lingers in the air as a crowd gathers, phones out, watching as headlights flash and cars line up diagonally. Just beyond the noise, one car moves silently, just a soft hum as it drives by. In the same space, two different kinds of machines and two different kinds of passion collide.
For decades, car culture has been built mainly around gas-powered vehicles. These cars created a strong emotional connection between drivers and their vehicles. Today, passionate car enthusiasts are divided between EVs and gas cars. While about 42-69% still favor traditional engines, enthusiasm is splitting those who love traditional experiences and those who are drawn to the new technology.
For Ryan McKellips, an automotive student at Warren Tech Central, gas cars offer something EVs can’t replace.
“One thing about driving a gas powered car is fun. Just feeling and hearing the engine Rev up and shift through the gears,” he explains, adding “Electric cars… they’re just soulless.”
His claim highlights one of the biggest conflicts between gas and electric vehicles, the experience vs. efficiency. Gas cars appeal to the senses: hearing the engine, feeling the shifts, and even smelling the fuel. EVs, on the other hand, are nearly silent and smooth, focusing on convenience rather than sensation.
EVs have a clear advantage. They deliver instant torque, meaning they accelerate faster than gas cars. While a gas engine powers up gradually, an electric motor does this immediately, often pushing from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less time. For many drivers, that quick effortless speed is exciting in a different way.
Maintenance is another major difference. Gas cars usually need oil changes often and have many moving parts that wear down over time. EVs are simpler, with fewer parts and lower lifetime costs. The average lifetime maintenance cost of an electric vehicle is $4,600 vs. $9,200 for a gasoline vehicle, making EVs more appealing to people who value long-term savings.
Customization is a key factor in car culture, especially at car meets where people gather to show off their builds. Bright paint jobs, modified engines, and loud exhausts all serve as forms of self-expression. Gas cars dominate these spaces more often because they offer more opportunities for hands-on modifications, while EVs are more likely seen as harder to personalize mechanically.
“With a gas car, you can really do anything you want with it… it’s endless,” McKellips states. “You drift it, you can make burnouts… you can make it however you want really.”
Samantha Jerger, another automotive student at Warren Tech Central, connects to car culture in her own way. While she doesn’t identify as an enthusiast, she still feels a deep connection to automobiles in general, mainly preferring EVs over gas.
“The sound of a gas car is such a known sound… especially if it’s tuned or loud, is something every car person looks for and wants to hear” she mentions. “EVs have their own sound, which isn’t much.”
Jerger’s perspective highlights gas cars are often connected to memory and familiarity, while EVs represent something newer and less personal for some drivers. For her, she doesn’t feel like she has the dedication to the community to be able to call herself an enthusiast but claims she definitely have a deep love for cars in general.
However, EVs are creating their own kind of culture. EV enthusiasts often care about battery range, charging speed, and software features instead of engine builds or modeling. Their passion leans towards more performance in the technological sense rather than mechanical.
This difference creates a clear contrast; Gas cars emphasize emotion, sound and customization. EVs emphasize speed, efficiency and technology.
“In my opinion, electric cars have changed what people get passionate about,” McKellips mentions. “Theres not a lot you can really do to make them whatever you want.”
Even so, the gap between the two isn’t absolute. Some drivers, like McKellips, point to hybrid cars as a middle ground, combining the feel of a gas engine with the efficiency of electric power.
As EVs become more common, car culture itself is changing. While traditional meets are still filled with roaring engines, silent cars are beginning to appear among them. Some people welcome the change, while others resist it, believing EVs lack the personality that defines car enthusiasm.
The divide between electric and gas cars reflects a deeper question; what makes people passionate about cars in the first place? For many, it might be the sound of the exhaust, tires turning as they create a burnout, the raw hands-on experience of driving and the freedom of customization. For others, it’s innovation or performance of new technology. Both sides are passionate, but for very different reasons.
As the night winds down, the engines fade and the crowd begins to disappear. One car roars out of the lot, the sound of the exhaust fading into the distance, while a different car slips away almost silently, its presence barely noticeable except for the glow of the taillights . Different sounds, different experiences, but both carrying drivers who care deeply about their cars and what they do.
