These Are The EVs Americans are Abandoning

For the first time in over half a decade, electric vehicles sales in the U.S. are projected to slump year over year. The expected reduction in consumer demand came even as Americans bought a record number of EVs in the third quarter of 2025. According to Kelley Blue Book estimates, Americans bought 437,487 EVs in July, August, and September this year, topping the previous quarterly record – set in the final three months of 2024 – by nearly 20%. Indeed, EVs accounted for more than one-in-every-10 new vehicle sales nationwide in Q3. 

Historic consumer demand for EVs was driven by the looming expiration of federal tax incentives. 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. 

A boon for EV makers in the third quarter, the shift in federal policy that began in October of this year are also expected to bring a fourth quarter slump. The extent to which the revocation of government incentives negatively impacted sales volume at the end of 2025 remains to be seen. But existing sales data shows that even during the best quarter for EV sales in history, there were many models that Americans were already abandoning – even when tax credits were still available. 

Using data from KBB, Climate Crisis 247 identified the EV models that failed in the third quarter, despite favorable market conditions. We reviewed sales data for nearly 70 EVs and identified those with the largest relative decrease in Q3 2025 relative to Q3 2024. Only models with Q3 2025 sales volume of at least 500 units were considered, including models that are slated for discontinuation. Estimated MSRP for base models are from the auto industry publication Car and Driver. 

The 10 models on this fall under eight different automotive brands, including Acura, Genesis, Lexus, and Mercedes – as well as BMW and Nissan, brands that each have two models reporting a near industry-leading collapse in sales. Among these vehicles, year-over-year quarterly sales declines range from -30.6% to -84%. Notably, several of these models, including the Acura ZDX, Mercedes EQS, and Nissan Ariya, have been marked for discontinuation or suspended production in the United States. 

10. Genesis GV60

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: -30.6% (-236 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 536 in 2025, 772 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: -13.5% (-270 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 1,728 in 2025, 1,998 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $53,845

9. BMW iX

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: -33.0% (-1,543 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 3,136 in 2025, 4,679 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: -11.6% (-1,291 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 9,878 in 2025, 11,169 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $88,425

8. BMW i4

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: -36.2% (-2,193 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 3,870 in 2025, 6,063 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: -5.4% (-947 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 16,719 in 2025, 17,666 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $53,975

7. Acura ZDX

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: -41.0% (-1,096 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 1,580 in 2025, 2,676 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: 295.3% (+8,901 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 11,915 in 2025, 3,014 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $65,850

6. Rivian EDV500/700

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: -41.5% (-1,870 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 2,639 in 2025, 4,509 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: -24.6% (-2,217 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 6,809 in 2025, 9,026 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $79,900

5. Nissan Ariya

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: -42.2% (-2,342 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 3,210 in 2025, 5,552 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: -0.5% (-68 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 14,829 in 2025, 14,897 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $41,265

4. Lexus RZ

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: -43.1% (-1,181 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 1,561 in 2025, 2,742 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: -36.3% (-3,042 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 5,339 in 2025, 8,381 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $43,975

3. Mercedes EQS

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: -51.7% (-614 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 574 in 2025, 1,188 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: -74.9% (-4,715 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 1,581 in 2025, 6,296 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $105,550

2. Tesla Cybertruck

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: -62.6% (-9,031 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 5,385 in 2025, 14,416 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: -38.0% (-9,877 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 16,097 in 2025, 25,974 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $72,235

1. Nissan Leaf

• Year-over-year change in Q3 sales: -84.0% (-3,790 units)
• Q3 sales volume by year: 724 in 2025, 4,514 in 2024
• Year-over-year change in YTD sales: -38.7% (-2,932 units)
• Year-to-date sales volume by year: 4,649 in 2025, 7,581 in 2024
• Approx. base MSRP: $29,635