EV Sales are Getting Better Before They Collapse

After lagging behind the first half of last year, electric vehicle sales hit an all time high in the third quarter of 2025. According to Kelley Blue Book estimates, Americans bought 437,487 EVs in July, August, and September this year, a 29.6% increase over the same period in 2024 and topping the previous record – set in the fourth quarter of last year – by nearly 20%. Rather than the beginning of a sustainable trend, however, the recent spike in EV sales may prove to be no more than a blip. 

Since Donald Trump took the oath of office at the beginning of the year, he has dismantled many of the key clean-energy policies implemented by the Biden administration – including a favorable incentive program for EV buyers. Under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, President Joe Biden granted qualifying EV buyers a $7,500 tax credit – benefits that were not set to expire until 2032. But under the terms of the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, those incentives were terminated at the end of September 2025. Given the change in market conditions, the third quarter surge in EV sales was likely driven in no small part by the looming expiration of federal tax credits. 

Indeed, industry experts expect EV sales volume to decline meaningfully in the final quarter of 2025 and into 2026. Whether the EV industry can thrive in the long term remains to be seen – but the latest sales figures show that surging demand for certain EV models led the segment’s historic quarter. 

Using data from KBB, Climate Crisis 247 identified the EV models that led the sales surge in the third quarter of 2025. We reviewed sales data for nearly 70 EVs and identified those with the largest relative increase between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025. Only models with Q3 2024 sales volume of at least 1,000 units were considered. Estimated MSRP for base models are from the auto industry publication Car and Driver and are for the 2025 model year. 

The 10 models on this fall under eight different automotive brands, including BMW, Honda, Tesla, and Volkswagen – as well as Chevrolet and Ford, brands that each have two of the highest ranking models. Among these vehicles, year-over-year quarterly sales increases range from 29% to well over 100%. 

10. Tesla Model Y

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: +29.0% (+25,820 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 114,897 in 2025, 89,077 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: -7.7% (-22,039 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 265,068 in 2025, 287,107 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $46,630

9. Ford F-150 Lightning

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: +39.7% (+2,843 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 10,005 in 2025, 7,162 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: +1.0% (+227 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 23,034 in 2025, 22,807 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $52,375

8. Ford Mustang Mach-E

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: +50.7% (+6,785 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 20,177 in 2025, 13,392 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: +17.8% (+6,336 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 41,962 in 2025, 35,626 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $39,990

7. Honda Prologue

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: +60.0% (+7,592 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 20,236 in 2025, 12,644 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: +157.8% (+22,374 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 36,553 in 2025, 14,179 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $48,895

6. Hyundai Ioniq5

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: +89.8% (+10,409 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 21,999 in 2025, 11,590 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: +35.5% (+10,773 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 41,091 in 2025, 30,318 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $44,200

5. Chevrolet Silverado

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: +97.5% (+1,945 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 3,940 in 2025, 1,995 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: +78.6% (+4,127 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 9,379 in 2025, 5,252 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $57,095

4. Rivian R1S

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: +140.3% (+4,778 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 8,184 in 2025, 3,406 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: +0.6% (+127 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 19,687 in 2025, 19,560 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $78,450

3. Chevrolet Equinox

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: +156.7% (+15,313 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 25,085 in 2025, 9,772 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: +389.9% (+42,049 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 52,834 in 2025, 10,785 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $34,995

2. BMW i5

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: +156.7% (+1,561 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 2,557 in 2025, 996 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: +2.0% (+114 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 5,890 in 2025, 5,776 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $68,275

1. VW ID.4

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: +176.0% (+7,952 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 12,470 in 2025, 4,518 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: +35.1% (+5,750 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 22,125 in 2025, 16,375 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $41,420