Finding
Tesla took more than half of a US market that shrank by nearly a quarter, while the global table is Tesla against Chinese small cars
US battery-electric sales were 462,892 in the first half of 2026, down 23.8% from the first half of 2025 - the first full half-year without the $7,500 federal tax credit that ended September 30, 2025. Tesla sold about 242,100 of them, a 52.3% share against 46.2% for full-year 2025. The Model Y grew 8.8% to 163,454 while the Model 3 fell 34.3%; only the Model Y, Model 3 and Hyundai IONIQ 5 passed 20,000 units. Worldwide, the Model Y outsold Geely's Xingyuan, the next model, more than two to one, and eight of the global top 10 are Chinese models not sold in the US.
Q2 2026 was the first quarter of growth since the credit ended: 247,226 units, up 14.7% from Q1 but still down 20.5% from Q2 2025. Toyota has three models in the US top 20 (bZ, Lexus RZ, C-HR), and GM has six across Chevrolet and Cadillac.
US
Top 20 battery-electric models, US, first half of 2026
Battery-electric only. Fuel-cell sales (the Toyota Mirai) are counted separately by Cox and are excluded. The Rivian EDV is a commercial delivery van that Cox counts with passenger EVs.
| Rank | Model | Units | Share of US BEV sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla Model Y | 163,454 | 35.3% |
| 2 | Tesla Model 3 | 66,616 | 14.4% |
| 3 | Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 20,730 | 4.5% |
| 4 | Toyota bZ | 17,553 | 3.8% |
| 5 | Chevrolet Equinox EV | 16,249 | 3.5% |
| 6 | Rivian R1S | 11,677 | 2.5% |
| 7 | Ford Mustang Mach-E | 11,632 | 2.5% |
| 8 | Honda Prologue | 8,407 | 1.8% |
| 9 | Lexus RZ | 7,814 | 1.7% |
| 10 | Cadillac LYRIQ | 7,578 | 1.6% |
| 11 | Tesla Cybertruck | 7,263 | 1.6% |
| 12 | Rivian EDV 500/700 (commercial van) | 7,216 | 1.6% |
| 13 | Cadillac OPTIQ | 7,083 | 1.5% |
| 14 | Kia EV9 | 7,035 | 1.5% |
| 15 | Hyundai IONIQ 9 | 4,858 | 1.0% |
| 16 | Ford F-150 Lightning | 4,481 | 1.0% |
| 17 | Chevrolet Bolt | 4,224 | 0.9% |
| 18 | Kia EV6 | 4,043 | 0.9% |
| 19 | Cadillac VISTIQ | 3,903 | 0.8% |
| 20 | Toyota C-HR | 3,748 | 0.8% |
Worldwide
Top 10 battery-electric models worldwide, January to May 2026
Battery-electric versions only, January to May 2026, the latest period with a published battery-electric-only model table; the June tables combine battery-electric and plug-in hybrid sales.
| Rank and model | Units |
|---|---|
| 1. Tesla Model Y | 408,158 |
| 2. Geely Xingyuan (EX2) | 182,978 |
| 3. Tesla Model 3 | 164,003 |
| 4. BYD Seagull (Dolphin Surf, Atto 1) | 125,037 |
| 5. Li Auto i6 | 98,990 |
| 6. BYD Dolphin | 93,632 |
| 7. BYD Yuan Up (Atto 2)* | 93,396 |
| 8. Xiaomi YU7 | 90,283 |
| 9. MG4 | 76,248 |
| 10. NIO ES8 (EL8) | 69,749 |
Plug-in hybrid and range-extended versions are backed out. The BYD Song family (Song Plus, Seal U), which ranks second or third in combined plug-in rankings, falls out of the top 10 because most of its volume is plug-in hybrid; range-extended Li Auto and AITO models are not counted. Tesla held about 12.6% of global battery-electric sales in the first half of 2026 against BYD's 13.9%. *The Atto 2 DM-i plug-in hybrid went on sale in Europe in early 2026; its volume is not published separately and may be included in the Yuan Up figure.
Quarters
US battery-electric sales by quarter
Q1 2026 is the Cox first-half total less Q2, so it differs slightly from the figure first reported in April.
| Quarter | Units |
|---|---|
| Q1 2025 | 296,227 |
| Q2 2025 | 310,839 |
| Q3 2025 | 437,487 (record) |
| Q4 2025 | ~234,000 |
| Q1 2026 | 215,666 |
| Q2 2026 | 247,226 |
Sources
Sources and scope
- Scope
- Battery-electric sales by model, US (first half of 2026) and worldwide (January to May 2026); refreshed each quarter
- Sources
- Cox Automotive / Kelley Blue Book Q2 2026 EV Sales Report (estimates as of July 9, 2026); Jose Pontes for CleanTechnica (global, battery-electric only)
- Updated
- November 2026