US EV sales in the latest quarter sit about 174,000 units below the Q3 2025 rush
Cox Automotive's third-quarter count of almost 263,000 US EV sales is about 40% below the tax-credit rush of a year earlier. Europe registered 277,006 in July alone, so a US plan should start from 263,000 and treat 2025 as a one-off.
The Product Desk
Almost 263,000 US EV sales in the third quarter, against more than 437,000 in the same quarter a year before. July brought 277,006 electric car registrations across the EU, the UK and the EFTA states.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| US third-quarter EV sales, almost | 263,000 EV sales | 1 | |
| A year before, more than | 437,000 US EV sales | 1 | |
| July, EU, UK and EFTA | 277,006 registrations | 8 |
What happened
- Cox's new report shows US EV sales have grown for three consecutive quarters since the tax credits were cancelled last year, TechCrunch reported.
- Toyota bZ and Lexus RZ sales about doubled after a refresh that reached dealerships late last year and added Tesla-style charging ports.
- Tesla's sales fell 20% year over year, yet it still sold more than half of all US EVs in the third quarter, TechCrunch reported.
- EU battery-electric sales reached 1.64 million in the first eight months of the year, up 45%, TNW reported.
Why it matters
- What it costs cost Nameplates without a fresh product carry the cost of a market that is growing overall: GM's Equinox EV fell 92.4% and Volkswagen's US electric sales fell 90% in a quarter.
- What it limits constraint Cox's Valdez Streaty credits high gas prices for part of the renewed interest, and no seller sets the pump price, so a plan needs a stated volume for the case where it falls.
- Who's exposed exposure A softer 2035 target from Parliament's rapporteur would, in campaigners' model, cut sales of the cheapest models by about three quarters by 2030, so the market that outsold the US also depends on a rule open to change.
Next story · Product · 2d ago
Tesla's Roadster 2 arrives six years late to a US market with nearly 90 EVsConfirmed2 publishers
German buyers lost their EV incentive in November 2023, a year earlier than expected, and the next month sales fell by more than half [15]. By this August, German sales were the second highest on record [16]. TechCrunch says the US recovery mimics that path [17].
TNW, citing Cox figures reported by InsideEVs, puts the US third quarter at almost 263,000 against more than 437,000 a year earlier [1]. The gap is about 174,000 units [18], or roughly 40% [19].
Here's what US buyers actually did in 2025: the federal credit was being scrapped, so they bought early, and the quarter set a record that TNW says will not be matched soon [2]. Here's what a team tells itself if it indexes to that quarter: that 437,000 was the market and 263,000 is the shortfall [1].
Europe's July came in 14,006 units above the US quarter, about 5% more [20]. The comparison is rough. Dataforce's figure covers the EU, the UK and the EFTA states [8], and it sets one month against three. On pace, the US ran at about 87,700 a month and Europe's July was roughly 3.2 times that [21].
One number needs checking before it goes in a deck. TNW reports a 6.1% rise on the previous quarter [22]. TechCrunch, citing a new Cox report, says EVs captured 6.1% of the US market, their best showing since the third quarter of 2025 [23]. Neither piece explains the difference.
TNW's explanation for the European gap is that a fleet-average rule obliges manufacturers to sell cheap electric cars, while a consumer rebate only promotes them until it ends [24]. Sixteen models priced under EUR 25,000 are due on sale in the EU by the end of the year [10].
Stephanie Valdez Streaty, Cox's director of industry insights, said the EV market is "finding its footing again" [3]. We would still baseline the US plan at the third-quarter count and treat growth as upside. The tradeoff is supply: if her read is right, a flat 263,000 will run short.
The test we would apply to each line of a US plan is one question: what made the buyer sign? If the answer is the car, as with the refreshed Toyota and Lexus models [5], plan on it. If the answer sits outside the car, such as a rebate or the pump price, write down the date or the price at which it stops and plan the volume for that point.
What to watch
- Cox's next quarterly report, which would show whether a fourth straight quarter of growth follows and which reading of 6.1% its figures support.
- Whether the 16 models priced under EUR 25,000 reach EU showrooms by the end of the year.
- US pump prices against the $4 level behind the renewed buyer interest Cox describes.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence62
- Adoption
- Not scored
- Hype gap+15
- Incentives
- Not scored
- Confidence60
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Cox Automotive put the US third-quarter EV sales at almost 263,000, against more than 437,000 in the same quarter a year before, in figures reported by InsideEVs.
- [2]
The third quarter of 2025 was a rush: the federal tax credit was being scrapped, buyers moved early, and the quarter set a record that will not be matched soon.
- [3]
Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of industry insights at Cox Automotive, said the EV market is "finding its footing again".
- [4]
After sales tanked following the cancellation of tax credits last year, US EV sales have grown for the last three consecutive quarters, according to a new Cox Automotive report.
- [5]
Sales of the Toyota bZ and Lexus RZ about doubled following a refresh that hit dealerships late last year.
- [6]
The updated Toyota bZ and Lexus RZ adopted Tesla-style charging ports and received larger batteries, more powerful motors and faster charging times.
- [7]
Valdez Streaty added that EV prices have become more competitive and that high gas prices have sparked renewed consumer interest.
- [8]
July brought 277,006 electric car registrations across the EU, the UK and the EFTA states, a 51% rise and a 25% share, on Dataforce figures.
- [9]
EU battery-electric sales reached 1.64 million in the first eight months of the year, up 45%.
- [10]
16 models priced under EUR 25,000 are due on sale in the EU by the end of the year.
- [11]
GM's Equinox EV sales fell 92.4%.
- [12]
Volkswagen's US electric sales fell 90% in a quarter.
- [13]
Parliament's rapporteur would soften the EU 2035 target to a 90% cut, which campaigners model as cutting sales of the cheapest models by about three quarters by 2030.
- [14]
Tesla's sales dropped 20% year over year, but it still sold over half of all EVs in the third quarter.
- [15]
Germany stopped incentives for EV purchases in November 2023, a year earlier than expected; the following month sales fell by more than half, and the market then steadily recovered.
- [16]
German EV sales in August, the most recent month for which data is available, were the second highest on record.
- [17]
TechCrunch wrote that the recovery in the US mimics what occurred in Germany after the government stopped incentives for EV purchases.
- [18]
The gap between Q3 2025 and the latest quarter is about 174,000 units (at least that, given 'more than' and 'almost').
- [19]
The latest US quarter is about 40% below Q3 2025.
- [20]
Europe's July registrations exceeded the US quarter by 14,006 units, about 5% more.
- [21]
The US quarter averaged about 87,700 sales a month; Europe's July was roughly 3.2 times that pace.
- [22]
TNW reported that American electric car sales rose 6.1% on the previous quarter, their best in a year.
- [23]
EVs captured 6.1% of the US market, their best showing since the third quarter of 2025.
- [24]
TNW's analysis: a fleet-average rule makes a cheap electric car a compliance requirement for manufacturers, while a consumer rebate makes it a promotion, and promotions end.
Sources
2 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
- techcrunch.comElectric vehicle sales in the U.S. are showing signs of life
1 article · October 14, 2026
- thenextweb.comEV sales rebound to their highest level in a year, and stay 40% below 2025
1 article · October 14, 2026
Topics and entities
Topics
- Electric Vehicles
- Automotive sales data
- EV incentives and regulation
Entities
- General Motors
- Tesla
- Rivian
- Toyota
- Stephanie Valdez Streaty
- Volkswagen
- Cox Automotive