The Tesla Model 3 and Model Y are still untouchable. But third place is very much in play.
There’s a new best-selling non-Tesla EV on the block.
The Model Y and Model 3 were by far the U.S.’s most popular electric cars in 2025.
General Motors is the second-biggest EV player in the U.S., and the Equinox EV is a big part of that.
It could be years before anybody unseats the king of electric vehicles in America: the Tesla Model Y. But the battle for best of the rest is very much up for grabs.
In 2025, the most popular not-a-Tesla was the Chevrolet Equinox EV. General Motors announced on Monday that it sold 57,945 of them last year. That’s about double 2024’s numbers, when the Equinox EV was only on sale for part of the year.
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It just goes to show what happens when you show Americans an EV with over 300 miles of range and a reasonable price tag in the mid-$30,000 range. Through the end of September, the $7,500 EV tax credit (RIP) helped make the model even more of a bargain. The crossover’s success helped GM move nearly 170,000 EVs in the U.S. last year, marking 48% growth over 2024.
The Equinox stormed past the Ford Mustang Mach-E, last year’s best-selling non-Tesla. Still, the Mach-E ended the year with a solid 51,620 units shipped. In 2023, before it was canceled, the Chevy Bolt EV/EUV took the crown with over 62,000 total sales.
2024 Chevy Equinox EV
After the Chevy and Ford, the next top-selling non-Teslas were the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (47,039 units) and the Honda Prologue (39,194). No big surprises, as these were 2024’s winners too.
What’ll happen in the coming year? I’d expect largely the same group to lead in 2026. But new players could shake things up.
The third-generation Nissan Leaf is better than ever and costs around $30,000, with an even cheaper version on the way. The Chevy Bolt has also been reborn with better specs and a sub-$30,000 price tag. Those high-value, low-cost entrants have the potential to be big hits—but both GM and Nissan have tempered expectations for their respective rollouts.
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The biggest wildcard is the Rivian R2. The startup’s $45,000 model is one of the most anticipated EVs of the year and is aimed directly at the Model Y. If production gets off to a very strong start, it could join the ranks too.
Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com
