Americans bought an estimated 262,649 electric vehicles in the third quarter, according to Kelley Blue Book figures published by Cox Automotive this week. That is 6.1% more than in the second quarter and the most in any quarter since the same three months of 2025. It is also 39.5% fewer than the 434,279 EVs sold from July through September last year.
The year-ago comparison is lopsided for a known reason. The federal clean vehicle tax credit of up to $7,500 applied only to vehicles acquired by Sept. 30, 2025, according to the government's fueleconomy.gov site, and buyers rushed to beat the deadline. That made the third quarter of 2025 a record, with EVs taking more than 10% of new-vehicle sales. This year the EV share was about 6.4%, up from 5.8% in the second quarter.
Counting hybrids and plug-in hybrids, nearly 25% of new vehicles sold in the quarter were electrified in some form, Cox said. Through the first nine months, EV sales total 725,888, down 30.3% from the same stretch of 2025.
Tesla still sells more than half of all EVs
Tesla sold an estimated 144,094 EVs in the quarter, down 19.7% from a year earlier, but its share of the segment rose to 54.0%. The Model Y alone accounted for 99,037 sales, or 37.2% of every EV sold in the country. The Model 3 added 40,346, down 25.1%, and the Cybertruck 4,323.
The biggest gains came from smaller EV sellers. Rivian sold 19,239 vehicles, up 45.7%, though 8,469 of them were its commercial delivery vans and 3,456 were the new R2. Toyota sold 12,904 EVs against 3,015 a year ago, led by 7,391 bZ crossovers, 3,467 electric C-HRs and 2,046 bZ Woodlands. Lexus rose 187.2% to 4,483, helped by 2,083 sales of the new electric ES, and Subaru gained 31.5% to 4,566 with its new Trailseeker and Uncharted.
Q3 EV sales by brand, selected
| Brand | Q3 2026 | Q3 2025 | Change | Share of EV sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla | 144,094 | 179,525 | -19.7% | 54.0% |
| Rivian | 19,239 | 13,201 | +45.7% | 7.2% |
| Toyota | 12,904 | 3,015 | +328.0% | 4.8% |
| Cadillac | 12,358 | 18,383 | -32.8% | 4.6% |
| Hyundai | 12,185 | 28,780 | -57.7% | 4.6% |
| Chevrolet | 10,031 | 39,498 | -74.6% | 3.8% |
| Ford | 6,047 | 30,612 | -80.2% | 2.3% |
| All brands | 262,649 | 434,279 | -39.5% | 100% |
Source: Kelley Blue Book EV Sales Report, Q3 2026, estimates as of Oct. 13, 2026.
Detroit's EV volume shrank the most
Ford's EV sales fell 80.2% to 6,047. The F-150 Lightning, which sold 10,005 copies a year earlier, managed 289, and the Mustang Mach-E fell to 5,574 from 20,177. Chevrolet dropped 74.6% to 10,031 as the Equinox EV slid to 1,905 from 25,085, partly offset by 3,866 sales of the returning Bolt. Cadillac held up better, down 32.8% to 12,358, which made it GM's best-selling EV brand.
Other declines were steep, too. Hyundai fell 57.7% to 12,185, most of them Ioniq 5s. The Honda Prologue fell 75.9% to 4,882. Volkswagen sold 1,421 EVs, down 90.5%, and Audi sold 1,039, down 94.3%.
What $4.33 gas means for EV shoppers
High fuel prices are the strongest argument EV makers have right now. AAA's national average for regular was $4.33 a gallon on Oct. 15, against $3.07 a year earlier, while public EV charging averaged 41 cents per kilowatt-hour. "With gas prices well above $4 a gallon, electric vehicles look better than ever," said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of industry insights at Cox Automotive, who described the market as "finding its footing again."
Treat the numbers as estimates. Cox first put third-quarter sales at 266,630, up 7.7% from the second quarter, then corrected the report to 262,649 and 6.1%, as Torque News noted. Some early coverage still carries the original figures. For shoppers, the practical math has not changed: without a federal credit, the case for an EV rests on purchase price, home charging and fuel savings, all of which can be compared model by model at fueleconomy.gov.
