This US EV Market Share Chart Is Quite Lame

This US EV Market Share Chart Is Quite Lame April 16, 2026 21 hours ago Zachary Shahan 0 Comments Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe

What's Happening

Cox Automotive collects the most extensive data on US EV sales, through its long famed and respected arm Kelley Blue Book. In the opening paragraph of its latest report on the market, the company provided a slight silver lining: “At 216,399, EV sales in Q1 were lower by 7. 8% compared to the previous quarter, an improvement and suggesting the sales drop after government-back incentives were terminated has slowed. In Q4 2025, sales were lower by 36% year over year and 46% quarter over quarter.

Why This Matters for EV Owners

• ” That was to be expected, and it is indeed a good sign
• Year over year, EV sales were down 27% in the 1st quarter, better than being down 36%
• However, apparently, the EV share of the broader auto market was the same in both quarters — just 5
• That’s barely more than half of the 3rd quarter 2025 record 10

The Bigger Picture

But stepping back further, the US market really doesn’t have much to proud of. It’s embarrassingly low for a record high if we compare to China or Europe. Some Latin American countries are even well beyond the US record — Costa Rica had 19. 1% EV share in the 4th quarter of 2025 and Uruguay had 23. The US just can’t keep up.

What This Means for Your Wallet

Based on current European charging rates, DC fast charging costs between €0.30-0.65 per kWh depending on the network and country. This translates to roughly 40-60% savings compared to equivalent petrol costs. A typical fast-charging session takes 20-45 min (10-80% DC fast) — enough time for a coffee break on a long trip.

What to Watch Next

Other Latin American countries may be shooting past us soon. But it was looking at the three-year EV sales and market share chart from Cox Automotive that really struck me and brought a new level of disappointment. Here it is: This just shows that even before this “Trump Slump,” as one reader intelligently coined it, EV sales and market share have basically been stagnant for years. US EV market growth had more or less stalled.