Driving a Green and Safe Future: How Perceived Environmental Benefits and Safety Shape Perceived Value and Purchase Intention of New Energy Vehicles

The adoption of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) is pivotal for addressing environmental challenges in the transportation sector. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model and the Norm Activation Model (NAM), this study examines how perceived environmental benefits and perceived safety influence NEV purchase intention via perceived value. An online survey of Chinese consumers (N = 313) was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and combined importance-performance map analysis (cIPMA), a recently developed approach that integrates necessary condition analysis (NCA) and importance-performance map analysis (IPMA). Results show that both perceived environmental benefits and perceived safety were positively associated with perceived value, which in turn drives purchase intention. IPMA indicates that perceived safety and perceived environmental benefits are the most influential drivers of purchase intention, while NCA reveals that perceived value is a necessary condition for high purchase intention and that perceived safety operates as a significant threshold constraint. Perceived environmental benefits, although highly influential, show no necessity. These findings suggest that automakers and policymakers should jointly emphasize verified safety performance and environmental advantages to enhance consumer perceived value and accelerate NEV adoption.