The bZ, Toyota’s electric SUV, leaped past the Hyundai IONIQ 5, Chevy Equinox EV, and Ford Mustang Mach-E to become the third-best-selling EV in the US in the first quarter.

Toyota bZ charges into the top 10 best-selling EVs

Although electric vehicle sales in the US slipped again in Q1, following the government policy changes, there were a few bright spots from the report.

A total of 216,399 EVs were sold in the first three months of 2026, according to the latest sales data from Cox Automotive. While that’s still down 7.8% from the previous quarter, it’s an improvement from the 46% quarter-over-quarter drop in Q4 2025.

The EV market has “clearly entered a new chapter,” with many major brands reporting year-over-year sales declines of 60% to 70%, including Ford, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, and Nissan.

A few brands bucked the trend, selling more electric vehicles after launching new or updated models. Cadillac, Lexus, Rivian, Lucid, and Toyota all posted higher sales growth in Q1.

New EV sales and market share in the US through Q1 2026 (Source: Cox Automotive)

Toyota’s updated bZ electric SUV (formerly the bZ4X) led the growth with 10,029 models sold in the first quarter, up 80% from the roughly 5,600 it handed over in the same period last year.

The Toyota bZ ranked as the third best-selling EV in Q1 2026, followed by the Hyundai IONIQ 5 (9,790), Chevy Equinox EV (9,589), Rivian R1S (5,494), Ford Mustang Mach-E (4,600), Lexus RZ (4,456), Tesla Cybertruck (3,519), and Cadillac Lyriq (3,370).

2026 Toyota bZ electric SUV (Source: Toyota)

Tesla maintained its lead after Model Y sales rose 22%. The Model Y ranked first with 78,591 units sold, followed by the Model 3 at 21,672. Every one in three EVs sold in Q1 was a Tesla Model Y.

With national gas prices surging to over $4.12 on average, interest in EVs and shopping traffic has increased at Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader.

Rank	Electric Vehicle	Q1 2026 Sales
1	Tesla Model Y	78,591
2	Tesla Model 3	31,672
3	Toyota bZ	10,029
4	Hyundai IONIQ 5	9,790
5	Chevy Equinox EV	9,589
6	Rivian R1S	5,494
7	Ford Mustang Mach-E	4,600
8	Lexus RZ	4,456
9	Tesla Cybertruck	3,519
10	Cadillac Lyriq	3,370
11	Honda Prologue	3,319
12	Rivian EDV	3,213
13	Subaru Solterra	3,041
14	Cadillac Optiq	2,847
15	Kia EV9	2,740
16	Tesla Model X	2,346
17	BMW i4	2,184
18	Kia EV6	2,023
19	Hyundai IONIQ 9	1,990
20	Cadillac Vistiq	1,902

Top 20 best-selling EVs in the US in Q1 2026 (Source: Cox Automotive)

The next chapter will be defined less by policy and more by new vehicles and pricing, according to Cox Automotive.

With EV prices trending lower and automakers still offering generous incentives, affordability is becoming less of a concern. As a result, EV share of new vehicle sales “will likely increase from here,” the report states, but reaching the peak of 10% could take time. EVs accounted for 5.8% of total sales in Q1 2026.

Interested in seeing one for yourself? We’re here to help. You can use the links below to find popular electric vehicles closest to you.

• Tesla Model Y
• Tesla Model 3
• Toyota bZ
• Hyundai IONIQ 5
• Chevy Equinox EV
• Rivian R1S
• Ford Mustang Mach-E
• Lexus RZ
• Tesla Cybertruck
• Cadillac Lyriq