Electric vehicle sales in the US slipped in the second quarter of 2026, falling 21% compared to the same period last year, from 311,536 sales down to 247,226. Part of that drop reflects a comparison against an unusually strong quarter in 2025, when sales spiked ahead of the expiration of the federal EV tax credit. Measured against the two quarters right before it, sales actually grew, up from 234,255 in the last quarter of 2025 and 216,399 in the first quarter of 2026, so the market has been climbing back after that credit expired.
Zoomed out further, the picture looks less grim. Sales this quarter were still 27% higher than the same quarter in 2022, and more than double what they were in 2021. So while EVs have cooled off from their 2023-2025 peak, they remain far more common than just a few years ago.
Even so, EVs made up just 5.9% of all new vehicles sold in the US last quarter, a small slice compared with other major markets. China's EV share was 43%, and Europe's was 22%. For a homeowner weighing whether to buy an EV or add home charging, this suggests the US market is still catching up to the rest of the world, even as it slowly recovers from the tax credit's end. Whether federal or state incentives return or change could affect the cost of buying an EV or installing a charger at home, so it's worth watching what happens with any programs in your state.
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