Lola Baird had just asked her boyfriend to pull over. Forty minutes into the trip, she felt "unbearable" due to nausea, and finally couldn't help but vomited next to her boyfriend's car.
Laura, 24, from north London, had never experienced motion sickness before her boyfriend bought an electric car two years ago. After that, whenever her boyfriend drove her for a long distance, she would feel "very sick."
The situation was so serious that she asked her boyfriend to change his car.
Laura is not alone in this experience. Others have told BBC News that they or their children are feeling more motion sick than usual when riding in electric vehicles. However, at the same time, many electric car drivers say they have never experienced motion sickness.
So, what might be the explanation for these cases of motion sickness?
Dr Irene Di Giulio, senior lecturer in anatomy and biomechanics at King's College London, whose research includes motion sickness. She said existing research shows that motion sickness experienced by some people in electric vehicles is indeed more severe than when riding in non-electric vehicles.
Dr. Nicholas Hac, a neurologist who specializes in dizziness and vertigo at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, has heard similar stories from some of his patients. "They just find that they are more likely or more prone to motion sickness when riding in electric vehicles," he said.
"I've heard it many, many, many times," he added. He said about two patients each month specifically mentioned feeling motion sickness while riding an electric car.
However, research into whether there is a link between the two is still in its preliminary stages, and some scholars say there is not enough evidence to make any firm conclusions.
Dr Bill Yates, who has studied motion sickness at the University of Pittsburgh, said current research is "pretty sporadic".
"There is some data on individual experiences, but there haven't been many really rigorous, broad-based studies," he said.
"The driving experience is great... but my daughter will be uncomfortable."
When Mark Quigg was looking for a new car last year, electric vehicles seemed to be the best option because of their lower cost for daily use.
Mark, 45, from Lincolnshire, said his shiny new electric car was "fantastic" to drive, but he soon discovered that his nine-year-old daughter was getting much more carsick when riding in it.
In the past, she only suffered from motion sickness during the school holidays when her family drove 600 miles to France. But Mark said that now even just a 30-minute drive to the nearest city can make his daughter feel uncomfortable.
He said his daughter even vomited during a recent trip, which had never happened before.
Not all electric car passengers get motion sickness. Many car owners contacted BBC News and said that they and their relatives and friends did not feel uncomfortable when riding in electric vehicles. Some people also say that compared with traditional fuel vehicles, they experience less motion sickness when riding electric vehicles.
Vicky Edmonds, chief executive of electric vehicle drivers' group EVA England, said motion sickness was not a concern for members. "This has never been raised as an issue," she said.
However, Chinese electric car maker Xpeng Motors, which has showrooms across the UK, has responded publicly to the issue in the past. The company said to those who find that electric vehicles are linked to motion sickness: "This is a legitimate question and not a delusion on your part." It added that this was caused by "a side effect of the engineering design of electric vehicles."
What can cause motion sickness?
Hacker said motion sickness is caused by "inconsistent sensory information." Our bodies rely primarily on three senses to tell that they are moving: what our eyes see, what our inner ear's balance system senses, and what the nerve fibers in our body sense.
He said motion sickness can occur when one message is inconsistent with the others. For example, if you look down at your phone and don't see the visual signal outside the window that the vehicle is moving, you may get motion sickness.
Research suggests several reasons that may exacerbate motion sickness in electric vehicles.
Experts explain that humans have become accustomed to associating sound with vehicle movement. DiGiulio said that electric vehicles do not have the familiar engine sounds and vibrations, so passengers lack auditory and vibration cues that the vehicle is accelerating, which may induce motion sickness.
Another reason is regenerative braking. When the driver releases the accelerator pedal, the electric vehicle begins to decelerate and recycle the energy generated into the battery. However, to keep the process smooth, the driver must gently release the accelerator pedal, otherwise the vehicle may decelerate sharply.
"At a sudden change in speed, passengers may feel like they're rocking back and forth," Hacker said.
This is what Carolyn Le, 24, from California, noticed. She said she would experience "terrible" motion sickness when her friend drove her through a busy city in an electric car. Because of regenerative braking, it feels like "the car is braking all the time."
The acceleration and deceleration speed of electric vehicles can also be much higher than that of traditional fuel vehicles. DiGiulio said this could cause motion sickness.
Edmunds of the Electric Vehicle Association of England said current advances in electric vehicle design have enabled vehicles to better control acceleration and not increase speed so quickly.
She added that the association believes motion sickness when riding an electric car is caused by "other factors" such as the driver's driving style, rather than the vehicle itself.
Some people are more susceptible to motion sickness, and Haack said genetics is the biggest factor. Experts say women and children are more likely to suffer from motion sickness.
Professor John Golding, who has researched the subject at the University of Westminster, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, said motion sickness is usually most severe between the ages of eight and 10 years and then diminishes with experience in such moving environments.
Keep your head still and open the windows
As electric vehicles become more popular, it may become increasingly difficult to avoid them. The latest data from the British Department of Transport shows that between April and June 2026, the number of newly registered zero-emission vehicles in the UK increased by 40.5% compared with the same period in 2025.
Data shows that as of the end of June 2026, zero-emission vehicles accounted for 5.8% of all licensed cars on British roads. The UK plans to ban the sale of new pure petrol or diesel cars from 2030.
Lucinda Harrison, 24, from London, said that when she booked a taxi, she often found out it was an electric car when she arrived, and then had to endure nausea, sweating and clammy skin throughout the journey.
She said she was frightened by the thought of riding an electric car. Recently, a colleague just gave her a ride to the subway station. The five-minute ride was enough to make her feel "terrible."
Scholars say passengers can take the following methods to reduce motion sickness.
Look out the car window ahead, don't look at your phone or read a book.
If you can, sit in the front passenger seat rather than in the back. If you must sit in the back, choose the middle seat so you can still see out the window in front of you.
Rest your head on the headrest and keep it still.
Lower the seat and recline back.
Regulate your breathing.
Open your car windows to let fresh air into your car.
Motion sickness medications can be taken if necessary, but they may cause drowsiness.
Before embarking on a long journey, make sure to stay hydrated, get enough sleep, and eat non-greasy food.
Experts also say that prolonged exposure to environments that cause motion sickness can help us gradually adapt. Goldin said that the more times you ride an electric car, the more your body will adapt to it and the less likely you will get motion sickness.
The sooner that day comes, the better, she said.
We used artificial intelligence to help translate this article, which is originally in English. Before publication, BBC reporters checked the translated content.
