Electric Vehicle (EV)Sales in the U.S. by Year: The Real Trend
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Also check: Top 10 Countries by Electric Vehicle Sales (2021-2025)
Key Takeaways
- Electric vehicle sales in the US grew nearly tenfold between 2016 and 2025, but the numbers are still relatively low.
- Sales nearly doubled in a single year between 2020 and 2021.
- Growth has started to level off from 2024 to 2025, indicating the market may be experiencing a plateau.
- The jump from 2018 to 2019 was actually a dip, a reminder that EV adoption did not grow in a straight line but had real setbacks along the way.
Ten years ago, electric vehicles (EVs) were still a small part of the car market. In 2016, only 160,000 were sold. Fast forward to 2025, and that number has climbed past 1.5 million, a complete shift in how people think about buying a car.
The most interesting part of this story is not just the total growth, but how uneven it was. Electric vehicle sales in the U.S. actually dropped in 2019 and again in 2020, because of the fact that EV demand was still fragile and influenced by the Covid pandemic and other external factors. Then in 2021, sales more than doubled. That single year appears to be the turning point where electric vehicles started being a real and viable choice for American drivers.
The slowdown in electric vehicle sales between 2023 and 2025 probably does not mean interest in EVs is fading. It is likely because the early adopters have already made the switch. The next wave of growth can be expected and will be decided based on pricing and access to electric vehicle (EV) infrastructures across the country.
Data Source: EIA, Global Electric Vehicle Outlook 2026