Impact of Greenwashing on Electric Vehicle Purchase Intentions

Vollständiger Abstract

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This study aims to investigate the attitude and intention of consumers towards EV purchase in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, and moderating effect of environmental concerns and mediating effect of green trust and green word-of-mouth (WOM) in the study. The data was collected using a quantitative design of cross-sectional type through the use of a bilingual structured questionnaire from 200 consumers from urban areas randomly selected from the population between the ages of 18 to 60, with the support of the theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) frameworks. The results from partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that green trust (indirect β = 0.28, p < 0.001; VAF = 85%) and green word-of-mouth (indirect β = -0.22, p < 0.01; VAF = 68%) fully mediated the significant negative direct effect of greenwashing on purchase intentions (direct β = -0.32, p < 0.001). Environmental concern had a positive effect on this connection (β = 0.25, p < 0.01), such that high concern individuals had more negative effects (β = -0.48 at +1 SD). Descriptive analysis highlighted two key issues: low green trust (M = 3.81) and high environmental concern (M = 5.44), which suggested skepticism in the growing EV industry in Nepal in 2025 (76% share). The findings reaffirm the importance of trust in preventing deception and also move the theories of green consumption behaviour to the context of emerging markets of South Asia. Practical suggestions include supporting verified claims, including introducing audits for the legislation and consumer validation for eco-labels, to reduce the intent erosion of 25–30% and foster sustainable shifts.