Top 10 Electric Cars in the US — Most Popular EVs

Electric car sales continue to climb. Who knows, you might be driving one of these top-selling EVs in years to come.

A man holds his young son while charging his electric car at home. The hatch is open and it's clear he has gone grocery shopping.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

EV car sales have skyrocketed in the U.S., even as overall US car sales remained flat. It’s a trend that's impossible to ignore — that the future of cars is electric. According to Cox Automotive, in Q2 2024, sales of electric vehicles accounted for 8% of the total automotive sales, up from 7.2% during the same period last year. Much of that growth is thanks to California, as shown in the graph below.

Bar graph of US and California EV quarterly sales, showing solid growth overall despite dips at the end of 2023.

(Image credit: Veloz)

Sales are forecasted to keep increasing, as will charging infrastructure. The electric vehicle market is set to surpass 691.56 billion by 2028, according to a recent report published by Extrapolate. And Goldman Sachs Research forecasts that electric vehicles will make up half of all global car sales by 2035. In only eight years, there will be more public EV chargers than gas stations in the U.S., according to Bloomberg.

This massive increase in sales interest can be attributed to several factors including the cost of fuel, as gas prices remain relatively high, improved EV performance, more choice of cars, and of course, government incentives. The federal EV tax credit) — part of the Inflation Reduction Act that passed in August 2022 — is designed to encourage the use of “clean” vehicles. The act includes a $7,500 credit for people buying electric cars and extends the tax credit to 2032. The exact amount of the credit is based on a calculation that considers factors like the vehicle’s sourcing and assembly. Many states and public utilities also offer incentives for EVs and home charging systems.

An EV/electric vehicle does everything a gasoline car does — gets you around, operates the air conditioning, plays music — but uses stored battery power. Unlike hybrid cars, EVs do not burn any gasoline. Most people charge their vehicles at home, and many can achieve a "full tank" of charge overnight.

Read on to find out the 10 most popular electric vehicles sold in the U.S. over the past quarter. We've noted the range, the average starting price and if the vehicle is eligible for the $7,500 point-of-sale tax credit (now taken at the dealership). If you are interested in one of the models that des not qualify for the tax credit, remember that you can still get this advantage through the EV lease tax-credit loophole. We also include the "miles per gallon electric," or MPGe, which estimates how many miles you could travel in an EV on the equivalent energy use of one gallon of gas. 

Ellen Kennedy
Personal Finance Editor, Kiplinger.com

Ellen writes and edits personal finance stories, especially on retirement. She also covers the nexus between sustainability and personal finance. She worked in the mutual fund industry for 15 years, as a manager and sustainability analyst at Calvert Investments. She focused on consumer staples, consumer goods, climate change and water. She served on the sustainability councils of several Fortune 500 companies and led corporate engagements. Before joining Calvert, Ellen was a program officer for Winrock International, managing loans to alternative energy projects in Latin America. She earned a master’s from U.C. Berkeley in international relations and Latin America.