US Battery-Electric Sales Reach Best Level Since Tax Credit Ended With 247,226 Units in Q2 2026

US battery-electric vehicle sales reached 247,226 units in the second quarter of 2026, the strongest quarterly result since the federal EV tax credit expired on 30 September 2025, according to data from Cox Automotive and InsideEVs. The Q2 total was 14.7% above the revised Q1 2026 figure, the second consecutive quarter of improvement from the sharp decline recorded in Q4 2025. On a year-on-year basis, Q2 sales were still down approximately 20.5% compared with Q2 2025, when the credit was in force and demand was elevated, but the pace of decline eased from the 27.3% annual drop recorded in Q1. Battery-electric vehicles held a 5.8% share of total US new-vehicle sales in the quarter — unchanged from Q1 but well below the 10.6% peak achieved in Q3 2025 when end-of-credit pull-forward demand was at its height. Tesla remained the dominant player, selling approximately 124,800 units in Q2 and accounting for roughly half of all US BEV sales; the Model Y was the best-selling individual EV with 84,863 units. Toyota was the strongest year-on-year performer among established brands, with EV sales rising 225% year-on-year to 11,826 units. Cox Automotive stated that 'the market now appears to be stabilising after the anticipated correction.'