How Influencers Shape Purchase Intentions for New Energy Vehicles: A Trust Path Analysis Based on Source Credibility Theory

The rapid development of China’s new energy vehicle industry has not been matched by equivalent growth in consumer adoption, indicating the importance of understanding demand side determinants of purchase intention. This study examines how social media influencers affect consumers’ purchase intention toward new energy vehicles by integrating the Stimulus Organism Response framework with Source Credibility Theory. Based on survey data collected from potential new energy vehicle consumers in Beijing and Shanghai, structural equation modeling was employed to test the relationships among influencer expertise, perceived information quality, trust in the influencer, and purchase intention. The results show that influencer expertise does not have a significant direct effect on perceived information quality or purchase intention. In contrast, perceived information quality significantly enhances trust in the influencer, and trust emerges as the strongest predictor of new energy vehicle purchase intention. These findings suggest that consumers rely more on the quality of information and the trustworthiness of influencers than on perceived expertise alone when evaluating high involvement and high uncertainty products. This study contributes to the literature by refining the application of Source Credibility Theory in the context of sustainable technology adoption and by highlighting the central role of trust in influencer driven persuasion. The findings also offer practical guidance for new energy vehicle marketers by emphasizing the importance of high quality informational content and long term trust building strategies.