Over the first three quarters of the year, sales of electric vehicles have declined by 30% in the United States. Lower demand and the elimination of the federal tax credit in 2025 have been contributing factors, along with the fact that buyers have increasingly shown an interest in more affordable hybrids. But there are a few EVs that still sell strongly. The Tesla Model Y is still the dominant force in the EV market, while the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Toyota bZ are similarly sized and priced competitors that also find themselves in the top 5 of EV sales. How do these electric crossovers compare on the sales charts this year? The data reveals a few surprising shifts since last year.
Tesla Still Miles Ahead, But It’s Not The Biggest Growth Story
Chase Bierenkoven
Jared Levenson/Autoblog
Tesla
Based on 2026 sales so far, the Model Y is still the best-selling EV in America. It’s followed by the Model 3 and Ioniq 5. The Toyota bZ has leapfrogged multiple other EVs to occupy the fourth spot. Here’s how the three models compare.
| 2026 YTD Sales | 2025 YTD Sales | % Change | |
| Tesla Model Y | 262,491 | 265,068 | -1% |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 31,112 | 41,091 | -24.3% |
| Toyota bZ | 24,944 | 12,264 | +103.4% |
According to an EV sales report from Cox Automotive, sales of the Model Y have been generally flat this year, with a drop of just 1%. Still, nothing else comes close; even the Model 3 is well behind its sibling with year-to-date sales of 106,962 units.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has experienced a fairly large decline, despite receiving massive price cuts. It’s still one of the most popular EVs in the country, but its trajectory hasn’t been encouraging; sales of the Hyundai fell by 52.8% in the third quarter.
One of the main storylines in 2026 has been the huge jump in Toyota EV sales, and the bZ is no exception. It’s now catching up to the Ioniq 5 rapidly, thanks to a bevy of updates introduced for the 2026 model year. More range, sleeker styling, and an increase in power have not gone unnoticed by EV buyers. If current trends continue, Toyota may soon have the country’s best-selling non-Tesla EV.
The EV Landscape Changes Rapidly
Whereas sales of gas- and hybrid-powered cars remain more predictable, the EV landscape is more volatile. Tesla has been a consistent force at the top of the sales charts, even after discontinuing the larger Model X and Model S. Below Tesla, things have been turned on its head.
A year ago, Rivian was only ranked as the 10th-best-selling EV brand, but it has bounded up the rankings and is now at number 2. The new R2, Rivian’s first mainstream EV, has contributed to this change. At the same time, there have been major declines for models that performed strongly in 2025.
Rivian
Sales are way down in 2026 for the Chevrolet Equinox EV (-65.6%), Ford Mustang Mach-E (-59%), Nissan Leaf (-50.1%), and Volkswagen ID.4 (-85.6%). These are all relatively affordable EVs and most were outselling the Toyota bZ a year ago.
It’s been chaos for most automakers as they cancel some EVs and/or prematurely introduce entirely refreshed models, as VW is doing with the ID.4 and ID. Tiguan. Predicting EV demand has been all but impossible, and according to Automotive News, EVs accounted for just 10% of U.S. car sales in 2025. That’s in stark contrast to China, where EV share was at 53% last year.
Toyota and Subaru are the only legacy brands that have demonstrated meaningful EV growth in 2026, and their rivals have their work cut out to keep up.
About the author
Karl Furlong
Senior Editor, Autoblog