These are the top 10 best-selling EVs in the US through Q3 — SkimNews
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- US EV sales totaled 266,630 units in Q3 2026, up 7.7% from Q2 and the highest quarterly figure since the Q3 2025 peak, per Kelley Blue Book estimates cited by Cox Automotive director Stephanie Valdez Streaty.
- Federal tax credit expiration drove a 38.6% year-over-year decline, as the $7,500 credit ended at the close of Q3 2025 and triggered a pre-deadline buying surge that inflated last year's comparison.
- Toyota and Lexus led the rebound with EV sales surging 328% and 442% year-over-year respectively, while Rivian posted 46% Q3 growth and Subaru rose 31% on its new electric SUV trio.
- Tesla retained the top two spots through Q3 with the Model Y and Model 3, followed by the Hyundai IONIQ 5 (31,112 units), the Toyota bZ (nearly 25,000 after sales roughly doubled), and the Chevrolet Equinox EV fifth despite a 65% drop to 18,154 units.
- EV market share climbed to 6.5% of all new car sales in Q3, up from 5.8% in Q2 but still far below the more than 10% reached in Q3 2025 before the credit lapsed.
Why it matters: The post-credit 'reset phase' Valdez Streaty describes appears to be ending, yet EVs still hold only 6.5% of new-car sales — roughly half their Q3 2025 share — meaning the sub-$35K cluster leading the top 10 (IONIQ 5, bZ, Equinox EV) and upcoming arrivals like the Kia EV3 and Rivian R2 will determine whether the market recaptures its pre-credit trajectory or plateaus well below it.
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