More than 300,000 electric vehicles were sold in the US during the first quarter of 2025, according to the latest report from Kelley Blue Book. That number makes up 7.5% of all new vehicle sales, which marks year-over-year growth compared to the 7% of EVs sold by this point in 2024.
Despite the market growing, not all automakers were represented equally in new EV sales. New electric models from Acura, Audi, Chevrolet, Honda and Porsche are driving higher sales figures for those automakers. General Motors experienced some of the most extreme EV sales growth, with over 30,000 electric vehicles across GM brands being shipped during the first quarter. Tesla sales took the biggest hit, falling 9% from where they were last year.
Tesla's struggles are well-publicized. The launch of the Cybertruck has been plagued with recall after recall. The company has also faced intense public backlash as a response to Elon Musk's involvement with the Trump administration as the head of DOGE. And the automaker has been the target of showroom protests across the country, with consumer sentiment for the EV company dropping even more rapidly overseas.
The 2025 iteration of the Tesla Model Y is launching in the US this spring, which could still help increase the company's sales numbers in the next quarter.
One of the biggest reasons for the first quarter sales surge is the looming market uncertainty. New international tariffs instituted by US President Donald Trump will have an outsized effect on the automotive industry. Though just one-third of the EVs sold in the US are imported vehicles, the tariffs will increase the costs of some of the most important materials in the electric vehicle supply chain, including steel and aluminum. China, the country with the highest US-levied tariffs, is also the leading supplier of EV battery materials. The budding trade war threatens to heavily distort the electric vehicle market.
It also remains unclear whether the Trump administration will reverse Biden-era EV purchasing incentives. The repealing of these initiatives could cause EV sales to plummet in the US market during the back half of 2025.
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