The dawn of the technological shift in the auto industry is well into the midday, making it clearer to compare and reason with what the current landscape offers. As we all know by now, the mainstreaming of hybrid and electric options across the board is deliberate in the intent to minimize fuel consumption and carbon footprint.

I have personally test-driven a few hybrid and electric vehicles, with the emphasis on the fact that I am the driver in this scenario and not the passenger. As diverse as the variety of test units can get, none have actually stood out as a bad experience—at least for me. As the driver, they all have very well fallen within the spectrum of satisfactory and beyond. Nonetheless, it wouldn’t be a full review without feedback from the passengers’ point of view as well.

A cool party trick of the semi and fully electric options is the powerful acceleration their motors can deliver within a shorter amount of time compared to combustion engines. This, however, is where some chronicled disadvantages come from as well.

The recurring complaint I’ve gotten from passengers is motion sickness with regard to some hybrid/electric test units. I thought this was a “me” problem, but as it turns out, some online browsing has confirmed the existence of this inconvenient truth.

While some electrified vehicles do move with seamless familiarity, let me be the buzzkill and deliver what I’ve gathered on why passengers complain about certain EVs and HEVs.

• Hyper-responsiveness. Because an electric motor achieves maximum torque more rapidly, the abruptness sometimes causes whiplash, which can understandably be uncomfortable for passengers.

• Regenerative braking. This causes a sudden jerk in deceleration. The erratic change can become especially repetitive during the stop-and-go motion of heavy traffic, possibly causing dizziness and nausea.

• Silence. Although a nice and quiet drive poses as a plus, the silence can actually be a contributing factor to the discomfort of a passenger. It causes disorientation and the lack of mental anticipation of a vehicle’s next move, such as when revving or turning.

• Digitalization. The presence of large touchscreens and even LED mood lighting is a possible deterrent to an enjoyable trip for passengers. Although, from my personal experience, this was actually a nonissue.

While these points may not be a problem for others, the reality is that there are these issues coming to light and are worth a discussion. A recommendation would be to make sure to be thorough with a test drive before locking down on your hybrid or EV of choice. Check the options for regenerative braking, and practice the art of being calmer on the throttle. Our passengers should not have to take motion-sickness pills just to make it from point A to B. It would be best to judge according to the collective ease and comfort felt by both driver and passengers.