Despite Uncertainties, January Was Actually A Great Month For EV Sales
There’s a lot of uncertainty in the electric vehicle market these days, especially in the U.S. The current presidential administration is hostile toward EVs, having suspended funding for public chargers, and it seems likely that federal tax credits for electrics will be cut, too. Additionally, sales of these battery-powered cars and trucks haven’t grown at the rate automakers would have hoped, given the billions and billions of dollars many of them have invested in recent years. Things seem grim, but that’s not necessarily the case when you take a peek at January’s sales results.
Gray 2023 Toyota Prius Prime
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Some Surprising Sales Statistics
2025 Honda Prologue Side Profile TopSpeed
According to Cox Automotive, deliveries of new electric vehicles exceeded 102,000 units last month, an impressive figure. That number represents nearly a 30 percent increase year over year. Beyond that, January is the tenth consecutive month where more than 100,000 EVs were sold.
Last month was a banger, but so was December 2024 when electric vehicle deliveries reached their highest level ever in the U.S. This is why January’s month-over-month sales were down 23 percent despite increasing greatly year over year.
Kelley Blue Book
But what were the top-selling models last month? Not surprisingly, the Tesla Model Y SUV was No.1 followed by the Model 3 sedan. The third-place finisher is rather a shock, the Volkswagen ID.4, which saw its deliveries increase by a whopping 653 percent, totaling nearly 5,000 units. Next came the controversial Tesla Cybertruck, and then the Honda Prologue rounded out the top five.
These best-selling EVs are kind of surprising. None of Hyundai and Kia’s excellent electric models made the list, nor did any Ford or GM-branded models, which are quite competitive as well. It’s also interesting that the Honda Prologue came in fifth place since it’s based on GM’s Ultium platform and is essentially a rebranded version of the Chevrolet Blazer EV. Why didn’t this Chevy make the list, too?
When it comes to pricing last month, the average new EV transacted at $55,614, a 1.4% year-over-year increase. Incentives certainly help move the metal, and they were a whopping 48.6 percent higher than in January 2024, though that’s still 3.1 percent less than in December. Volkswagen, Subaru, Kia, and Nissan had the highest incentives.
Used EV Sales Were Up, Too
Tesla
A common complaint about today’s EVs is that they’re too expensive. For drivers who want to go electric but aren’t ready to completely torpedo their finances, a pre-owned vehicle is a great option. According to Cox Automotive, sales of used EVs increased 3.5 percent last month, totaling just shy of 27,000 units. That performance is a 30.5 percent year-over-year increase.
Ranked by sales volume, the top five used EV brands last month were Tesla, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, and Nissan. Interestingly, Mercedes-Benz saw its used vehicle sales increase 54 percent month over month. As for the most popular second-hand EVs, the Model 3 and Model Y topped the list, then came the Tesla Model S, Chevrolet Bolt, and Ford’s Mustang Mach-E.
As for used EV pricing, the average listing price last month was $37,476, 5.1 percent less than in January of 2024. Curiously, that figure is 1.7 percent higher than in December, though almost 40% of the used EVs sold were priced at less than $25,000, good news for value-conscious motorists.
