Electric Vehicle Adoption Is On The Rise — Even If Tesla Sales Are Uneven

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Tesla was once the best electric vehicle available for purchase. That’s changed as more manufacturers have entered the marketplace. Still, a tension seems to exist in which some automakers are scaling up both luxury and mass market brand EVs, while others are limiting or cancelling production plans altogether. You’d think that such uncertainty would be pessimistic for electric vehicle adoption.

Not so fast.

The sum total direction of the EV market does depend on the evolving status of EV charging infrastructure and the fluidity of US federal policies. However, numbers are emerging here at the end of Q1 2026 that paint a much rosier picture of EV sales and satisfaction than pundits had predicted.

Stronger-than-Anticipated EV Sales Trends

Electric vehicles offer a sustainable transport future due to their zero carbon releases, low sound, high efficiency, and flexibility in grid integration. For consumers who are concerned about climate change, EVs have a real allure. In fact, a first quarter 2026 report from Recurrent reveals that used EV sales have risen sharply. That comes as a bit of a surprise to some who interpreted the termination of US federal tax credits as a death knell to electric vehicle adoption.

While many forecasts correctly projected a loss of momentum in new EV sales in Q4 2025 — after all, it was a period of six years of steady growth — recent used EV sector numbers have been quite positive.

• December sales were up 10.2% year over year.
• December sales rose 9.7% from November.
• Total 2025 used EV sales increased 35% from 2024.

The report goes so far as to recommend to dealerships that they capitalize on used EVs. By January, 56% of inventory was under $30,000, and 30% of these lower entry point vehicles were from 2023 or newer. Of EVs from all price segments, 55% of vehicles were 2023 or newer model years.

Tesla’s long market lead is reflected in overall pre-owned market share: 30% inventory are from the Tesla brand, which demonstrates price stability both before and after the tax credits ended. (A side note suggested that the announcement about Model X and Model S discontinuation may affect their residuals).

• 13.74% — Model 3 — $26,755.90
• 9.33% — Model Y — $32,712.00
• 3.92% — Model S — $39,872.93
• 2.38% — Model X — $48,384.82

Used EV inventory offerings remain well poised to compete with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, offering newer models and low mileage on lease returns. There aren’t a whole lot of $20,000 and below ICE vehicles for purchase, so used EVs seem more and more appealing to an entry-level auto consumer.

• 55% are 2023 or newer;
• 68% are 2022 or newer;
• 82% are 2020 or newer; and,
• 39% of models sell for under $25,000.

Baby, You Can Drive My Car

Moreover, current EV owners are more satisfied with their vehicles than ever before, according to JD Power’s 2026 US Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study. The Tesla Model 3 and the Tesla Model Y receive first and second place satisfaction slots, while the BMW i4 ranks third. Key findings of the study include:

• Public charging satisfaction climbs to new highs.
• Premium battery electric vehicles (BEVs) see more pronounced quality improvements.
• BEVs continue to have higher satisfaction than plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
• EVs significantly outperform plug-in hybrids in both premium and mass-market categories. This last bit of data illuminates a critical shift: consumers are increasingly bypassing transitional hybrid technologies and moving directly to full electric vehicles.

Brent Gruber, executive director of EV practice at JD Power, says that, while EV market share has seen some declines after the demise of federal tax credits, that dip doesn’t tell the whole story. In fact, customer satisfaction among owners of new EVs continues to grow.

“Improvements in battery technology, charging infrastructure, and overall vehicle performance have driven customer satisfaction to its highest level ever. What’s more, the vast majority of current EV owners say they will consider purchasing another EV for their next vehicle, regardless of whether they benefited from the now-expired federal tax credit.”

A December 2025 Consumer Reports release supports such data analysis. CR says that EV automakers Rivian and BMW sit at the top of the brand satisfaction list. Some others who follow closely behind continue from last year’s top 10 list: Tesla, Ford, Genesis, and Lexus.

This is high praise for consumers who were asked one specific question: “Based on price, performance, reliability, comfort, enjoyment, etc., if given the chance to do it again, would you buy the same vehicle?”

Was NEVI, Actually, a Success?

ICE cars and trucks are major sources of carbon emissions. Part of the equation for successful electric vehicle adoption rests with available and reliable charging infrastructure. Sure, former President Joe Biden’s $5 billion plan to build EV charging stations took longer than expected. The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program had many stop-gap measures in place before actual charging would begin, such as built-in requirements to boost union labor standards and to compete with China.

Federal and state bureaucracy slowed construction.

“They spent $9 billion on eight chargers,” once-and-future King Donald J. Trump said during his 2024 reelection bid, “three of which didn’t work.” As usual, Trump’s NEVI numbers were way off on all counts.

Early on, the lack of public charging stations made some potential EV buyers wary. But NEVI has been resilient, even with Trump’s threats to freeze the program. Its original specific detail, immersion into planned spending, and Congressional approval survived a court challenge and held on. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union endorsed NEVI, too, due to the requirement that electrical workers building stations would have to receive apprenticeship training. Training takes time but also ensures qualified installers.

Biden had called for 500,000 US charging stations by 2030. NEVI “forced the entire industry to raise its game around reliability, redundancy and performance that will be remembered as an important legacy,” says Nick Nigro, the founder of Atlas Public Policy, which studies the EV charging network. 

Final Thoughts about Electric Vehicle Adoption

This week Uber said that it would offer incentives to other companies to install electric vehicle chargers in the US and Europe. This has real potential to increase EV appeal to new audiences as the EV market tries to restabilize after Trump administration clean energy policy changes.

Uber has guaranteed minimum charging times to companies if these chargers are installed in neighborhoods where its drivers live, or if the location is a frequent pickup/dropoff site for passengers. With this caveat, charging companies should be able to recover upfront investment costs more quickly than the NEVI program.

NEVI’s goal “of spurring a well-functioning charging system with common standards,” says David Ferris, writing for Politico, “is becoming a commercial reality.”

Resources

• “EV owner satisfaction climbs to new high amid sales slump, JD Power finds.” February 16, 2026. JD Power.
• “Livestream: The hype, reality, and future of EVs.” Aarian Marshall and Jeremy White. Wired. February 13, 2026.
• “Owner satisfaction ratings: Best and worst car brands revealed.” Jon Linkov. Consumer Reports. December 4, 2025.
• “Used electric car prices & market report — Q1 2026.” Liz Najman. Recurrent. February 11, 2026.
• “Used EV sales are red hot despite end of federal tax credits.” Julie Walker. Daily News. February 17, 2026.
• “Uber will offer incentives for EV charger construction.” Jack Ewing. New York Times. February 18, 2026.
• “Why Trump couldn’t stop the electric vehicle dream.” David Ferris. Politico. November 14, 2025.