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For the first time in 10 years, registrations of electric vehicles in the U.S. decreased in 2025, per new data from S&P Global Mobility via Automotive News. It was just a 0.4% slide, but a noticeable one nevertheless, considering that figure only went in the other direction since the research firm began recording this info back in 2016.
Meanwhile, EVs’ share of the overall vehicle sales mix dropped from 8% to 7.8%, even though total registrations across all powertrains rose by 2.2%. If you filter down to the first half of last year, before the tax credit was eliminated in September, there were 4.6% more EVs added to U.S. roads compared to 2024. This came on the heels of an 11% rise after all of 2024, and a 52% jump in 2023.
Though the death of federal incentives might’ve accelerated things or put the final nail in the coffin, this was a trend unfolding over many years. Insiders know it as the post-early-adopter chasm, after everyone who initially wants something buys theirs, and mainstream endorsement is harder to earn.
If you break it down by brand, very few posted a higher number of deliveries in 2025. Tesla predictably took a sizeable hit, recording 35% fewer registrations in December of last year compared to the same month in 2024. Rivian also endured a tough end to 2025, with a 44% year-over-year drop through the same period, contributing to a $3.6 billion net loss for the electric SUV and truck manufacturer. And we could see all of it coming, pretty much as soon as the first numbers began trickling out post federal rebates.
None of this means that EV sales can’t resume moving in the proper direction, but it’s going to take some creativity from automakers to keep transaction prices from spinning further out of control, at a time when that’s really hard. Of course, it doesn’t help that many brands are also busy killing off what few all-electric products they might’ve had in the first place.
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Backed by a decade of covering cars and consumer tech, Adam Ismail is a Senior Editor at The Drive, focused on curating and producing the site’s slate of daily stories.
