<p>In this study, we examine the extent to which political knowledge affects the importance of voting motives in electoral decision-making. Using political knowledge as a measure of sophistication, this paper builds on the idea that knowledge affects which voting motives individuals prioritise. Earlier studies, focusing on within-motive variation, suggest that sophisticated voters place more emphasis on ideological proximity or economic evaluations. We adopt a broader perspective by comparing multiple voting motives — including ideological alignment with parties, party manifesto and values, trust, party leaders, social engagement, economic considerations, voting against a party, and the desire for political change — and by focusing on between-motive variation. We rely on Belgian election survey data, as Belgium offers a particularly suitable case due to its system of compulsory voting, ensuring participation across all levels of political engagement. Our results show that politically knowledgeable voters place greater importance on ideological and programmatic considerations, whereas less knowledgeable voters are more likely to emphasise reactive motives such as voting against parties or a need for political change. These findings contribute to understanding how political knowledge shapes vote choice and highlight its crucial role for democratic quality and representation, reinforcing the importance of political knowledge for a well-functioning democracy.</p>