The US EV market is smaller and more turbulent in 2026 than it was a year ago — electric vehicles made up just 5.8% of new-vehicle sales in Q1 2026, down from an all-time high of 10.6% in Q3 2025, after the $7,500 federal tax credit expired at the end of September 2025. But the pullback isn’t the whole picture: charging infrastructure is expanding faster than the EV fleet for the first time on record, used EV prices have nearly caught up with gas-car prices, and Tesla’s share of the shrinking pie is actually growing. Below are 15 statistics that capture exactly where the US EV industry stands right now, and where it’s likely heading through the rest of 2026.
Quick Summary: 2026 US EV Market at a Glance
| Metric | 2026 Figure | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| New EV market share (Q1 2026) | 5.8% of new-vehicle sales | Down from 10.6% peak (Q3 2025) |
| Tesla’s share of US EV sales | 45% for full-year 2026 | Down from 49% (2024); rebounded to 59% in Q4 2025 |
| Average new EV transaction price | ~$58,071 | Down 12.3% since Oct. 2025 |
| Public charging locations | 85,061+ | Up from ~65,000 in 2023 |
| Federal EV tax credit status | Expired Sept. 30, 2025 | No new or used EV credit remains |
1. New EV Sales Fell 27% Year-Over-Year in Q1 2026
Electric-vehicle sales fell by 27% year over year in Q1 2026, with 216,399 EVs sold in the quarter — a 7.8% decline from Q4 2025, but a smaller drop than the previous quarter’s slide, according to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book data. The pace of decline is slowing, which analysts read as early stabilization rather than a rebound.
2. EV Market Share Has Roughly Halved From Its 2025 Peak
EVs accounted for 5.8% of total new-vehicle sales in Q1 2026, unchanged from Q4 2025 and well below the peak of 10.6% reached in Q3 2025. That Q3 2025 spike reflected a rush of buyers racing to close deals before the tax credit disappeared.
3. Q4 2025 Marked the Sharpest Post-Credit Drop
US EV market share fell to 5.7% in Q4 2025, with sales volume dropping to 234,171 fully-electric vehicles for the quarter as the market absorbed the loss of federal subsidies.
4. Tesla’s Full-Year Share Is Shrinking — But Its Quarterly Share Just Spiked
Tesla accounted for 45% of all new US EV sales in 2026, down from 49% in 2024 and well below the 75% share it held at the start of 2022. Yet in the near term the trend reversed sharply: Tesla’s share of US EV sales climbed to 59% in Q4 2025, the highest level since 2023. The split tells two stories — a multi-year erosion of dominance, and a short-term bounce as rivals pulled back faster than Tesla did.
5. Only a Handful of Brands Grew in Q4 2025
Cadillac, Volvo, Jeep, and Lucid were the only brands to post year-over-year sales gains in Q4 2025, while most legacy and startup competitors saw declines alongside the broader market contraction.
6. General Motors Has Moved Into Second Place
After Ford and Hyundai Motor Group both saw EV sales sink in Q4 2025, General Motors moved into a firm second-place position behind Tesla, reshaping the competitive order that had held for much of 2023–2024.
7. The Federal EV Tax Credit Is Gone for Good — For Now
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025, eliminated the federal EV tax credit effective September 30, 2025 — ending the $7,500 new-vehicle credit and $4,000 used-vehicle credit outright. No federal replacement has been introduced.
8. New EV Prices Spiked, Then Fell Faster Than Expected
Average new EV transaction prices jumped roughly $5,000 in October 2025, the month immediately after the credit expired, as automaker discounts and lease subsidies briefly dried up. But the correction came fast: prices fell 4.4% from October to November 2025 to just over $63,000, then fell another 2.6% by year-end to $61,551, and by April 2026 the average new EV price had dropped 12.3% total to $58,071.
9. Automakers Are Discounting Aggressively to Move Inventory
EVs in dealer inventory are now sitting on lots 36.4% longer than they were in October 2025 — an increase to 115.6 days — compared to just a 9% increase for new vehicles overall, a sign that price cuts are driven by inventory pressure as much as genuine cost reductions.
10. Used EVs Are Closing the Price Gap With Gas Cars
The price gap between a used EV and a comparable used gas vehicle — once more than $10,000 as recently as early 2023 — has narrowed to around $1,000, approaching price parity for the first time on record. The average used EV listing price was $34,653 in March 2026, down 6.1% year over year.
11. Used EV Sales Are Growing Even as New EV Sales Fall
Used EV sales rose about 12% year over year in Q1 2026, even as new EV sales fell sharply after the tax credit expired — evidence that affordability, not incentives, is now the primary driver of EV adoption at the entry level.
12. US Charging Infrastructure Is Growing Faster Than the EV Fleet — For the First Time
US public charging ports grew 34.6%, from about 180,000 in 2024 to more than 242,000 in 2025, outpacing EV registration growth for the first time in years. Meanwhile, the number of registered EVs in the US grew 26.7%, from 3.56 million to over 4.5 million.
13. The US Now Has More Than 85,000 Charging Locations
The US charging network spans over 85,000 station locations as of May 2026, led by ChargePoint with more than 44,800 listed locations, followed by Blink Network, Tesla Destination chargers, and Tesla Supercharger stations. Tesla alone operates 3,088 Supercharger stations with more than 37,428 charging ports nationwide.
14. US EVs Skew Heavily Toward Large, Expensive Vehicles
More than 85% of EV models available in the United States are SUVs or other large vehicles — the highest share of any market in the world — compared to roughly half of EV models globally, which helps explain why US EV transaction prices remain well above the overall new-car average.
15. The US Is Falling Behind the Global EV Growth Curve
Global EV sales reached 21.6 million units in 2025 and are forecast to hit 22.7 million in 2026, with global market share rising toward 24.7% as incentives decline elsewhere, even as the US share sits at roughly a tenth of that rate. China now accounts for roughly half of all new EV sales worldwide, Europe for close to a third, and the US for a high-single-digit share with room to grow.
US EV Market: Before vs. After the Tax Credit Comparison
| Metric | Pre-Credit Expiration (Q3 2025) | Post-Credit Expiration (Q1 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| EV market share | 10.6% (all-time high) | 5.8% |
| Average new EV price | Lower, incentive-supported | $58,071 (after a brief post-credit spike) |
| Average used EV price | Higher relative gap to gas cars | $34,653; ~$1,000 premium over gas |
| Tesla US EV share | Declining trend | 59% in Q4 2025 (rebound) |
| Public charging ports | ~180,000–200,000 range | 242,000+ (34.6% YoY growth) |
| Federal incentive | $7,500 new / $4,000 used | $0 — fully expired |
What This Means for EV Buyers and the Industry in 2026
The data points to a market in transition rather than collapse. Sales volume and market share have both dropped sharply since the federal tax credit ended, but the drop is decelerating quarter over quarter, and two structural improvements are working in the industry’s favor: charging infrastructure is finally outpacing vehicle growth, and used EV prices have nearly reached parity with gas-powered alternatives. The unresolved problem is the new-vehicle price tag — with more than 85% of US EV models built as SUVs or larger vehicles, affordability remains the industry’s biggest open question heading into the second half of 2026.
Bottom Line
The 2026 US EV market is smaller, pricier at the new-car level, and more Tesla-dominated in the short term than it was a year ago, but the fundamentals underneath it — charging access, used-EV affordability, and slowing rates of decline — are improving. Buyers chasing value should look to the used market, where prices are now within roughly $1,000 of comparable gas vehicles. Buyers and industry watchers alike should treat 2026 as a stabilization year, not a rebound year — the real test comes if and when a lower-cost new-EV segment finally arrives.
Sources: Cox Automotive/Kelley Blue Book, CarEdge, Recharged, EV Volumes, IEA Global EV Outlook 2026, Zutobi 2026 EV Charging Station Report, TrendX Insights, Cars.com, Recurrent Auto, Edmunds, U.S. News.
