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Transportation United States

US EV Sales Smash Records In August (electrek.co) 94

Posted by BeauHD from the record-breaking dept.
US EV sales hit a record 146,332 in August, grabbing nearly 10% of all new car sales, according to Kelley Blue Book. That's the highest yet and up from 9.1% in July. Electrek reports: With the federal EV tax credit set to expire on September 30, analysts say Q3 2025 is shaping up to be the strongest quarter for EV sales in US history. The current record holder is Q4 2024, when 365,824 EVs were sold.

Prices ticked higher, too. The average transaction price (ATP) for an EV in August was $57,245, 3.1% more than July's revised lower ATP of $55,562. Year-over-year, though, EV prices were basically flat, down just 0.1%. The wave of EV sales also helped push up the overall market's ATP.

Incentives, while not as high as July's record, remained hefty. EV buyers received discounts averaging over $9,000 in August, equal to 16% of ATP. That's more than double the incentive rate in the overall auto market and up from 13.6% a year ago. A separate report from Rho Motion found that global EV sales surged 25% in 2025, led by strong growth in Europe and China. "That amounts to 12.5 million EVs, although the data combines both battery EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs for the total," reports Ars Technica.

As for North America? "EV sales are still growing but barely -- up just 6 percent between January and August 2025 compared to the same time period in 2024."
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US EV Sales Smash Records In August More

US EV Sales Smash Records In August

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  • Because the subsidy goes away in October (Score:5, Informative)

    by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Friday September 12, 2025 @10:11PM (#65656904)
    So the cost of an EV shoots up by 7,500. I would expect sales to drop substantially then.

    Also I think Tesla is in deep deep trouble. Best case scenario their CEO is going to take $29 billion dollars out of the company in the form of stock options that he clearly intends to sell. If he can get away with it he'll take 55 to 59 billion, which is more than the company has ever made.

    Meanwhile Tesla has never been profitable without government subsidies except for a very brief window during the covid lockdown when they were the only ones with cars to sell because they don't know how to do inventory management and they had overstocked on parts. One of those cases where they failed up, much like their CEO.

    I suspect it'll take a while for the stock to collapse because so many people bought into it when it was already overpriced and everybody is desperately trying to figure out how to get out of it without losing their shirts.

    In the past you would just dump it on pension programs but there's been so much of that in the last 50 years they simply don't have the money.

    I suspect they will find a way to dump it into everybody's 401ks. Eventually wiping a lot of them out.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by shanen ( 462549 )

      My reaction whenever I see a Tesla is that I feel like sticking a little note under the windshield wiper. Something like:

      "Are you pro-life? Owning this car makes me think you support starving innocent children to death. Do you even know how many kids have died? Or care?"

      Or some kind of WWJD joke? What would Jesus drive? Probably not a Tesla.

      • Re:Because the subsidy goes away in October (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Mr. Dollar Ton ( 5495648 ) on Friday September 12, 2025 @11:00PM (#65656946)

        What would Jesus drive? Probably not a Tesla.

        Him being a native of Bethlehem, a Palestinian town, he'd probably be driving his own two legs most of the time, or a donkey when available, just like he did 2000 years ago.

        This time around, however, the Pharisees would just bomb his village, killing him, his apostles, that prostitute and his mother and father at once and not bother with bringing him to a trial before Huckabee, wood, nails, thorns, vinegar and the spear.

        On the plus side, we'll see the resurrection on a live Tiktok stream.

        • "Him being a native of Bethlehem, a Palestinian town,"

          Hardly. The Romans named the region "Palestina" (Palestine) only AFTER the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 CE) as part of a broader effort to suppress Jewish identity and connection to the land. Before this, the region was generally referred to as Judea, named after the ancient Kingdom of Judah.

      • Heck yeah! Then you probably roll coal on them, leavinbg a coexist shaped cloud of unburned fuel in your wake. Right before the whole neighborhood stands up and claps for you.
      • "What would Jesus drive? Probably not a Tesla." - indeed after Musks venture into being divisive but he'd probably drive an EV

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by shanen ( 462549 )

          The reactions make me believe I should have specified I was thinking about DOGE and USAID. I am not aware of electric cars having any relation to the #GazaGenecide4Golf fiasco...

          But I admit I am sometimes prone to simpleminded solution approaches. For example, what if Poland announced that any Russian drone over Ukraine would be shot down if there was any possibility of that drone reaching Polish territory? I'm pert' shure the Ukrainians wouldn't object.

      • Re:Because the subsidy goes away in October (Score:5, Funny)

        by q_e_t ( 5104099 ) on Saturday September 13, 2025 @04:51AM (#65657208)
        Well, it says in the Bible that Moses came down from Sinai in his Triumph...

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Powercntrl ( 458442 )

        My reaction whenever I see a Tesla is that I feel like sticking a little note under the windshield wiper.

        Contrary to what social media might lead you to believe, most people don't want a personal response with your unsolicited political opinion while they're just trying to go about their daily lives, and they sure as hell don't want you touching their car to give it to them. If you don't like Tesla, there's no shortage of valid public forums for expressing such an opinion - such as putting an anti-Tesla bumper sticker on your own car.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by shanen ( 462549 )

          Ah, are you smart enough to realize you just contradicted yourself? You actually sound stupid enough to have voted for the YOB.

          YOB too shall pass?
          Max YOB Time: Day 3743 of 4968
          In-WH YOB Time: Day 3159 of 4384
          Adjusted YOB Time: Day 1697 of 2922 (with time off for good Biden behavior)
          Countdown to EOYOB Jan 20, 2029: 1225d 0h 48m

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by skam240 ( 789197 )

            Not only are they right that one shouldn't be fiddling with others vehicles there's also pretty decent odds you'd be bothering leftists who agree with you on many issues doing this. Lots of people on the left bought electric cars from Tesla before realizing Musk was such a pile of shit and most folks and selling a car before getting ones moneys worth out of it would be a hard thing for a lot of folks.

            Regardless though, you're the one sounding like a jerk here. All the above is doing is pointing out it's wro

          • If you can't figure out how I vote based literally having a fucking pride rainbow in my sig (granted, it's in hex code - but come on, this is a site for people who should know how that works), you probably should refrain from making political assumptions based on the type of car someone drives. Just sayin'

            There are plenty of good places to debate politics. A note on someone's car windshield is not one of them.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by shanen ( 462549 )

              No, from those two comments you actually sound like someone stupid enough to vote against your own interests. Lots of that going around these years.

              But perhaps you think if you keep contradicting yourself you'll eventually figure out what you mean?

              • There's nothing contradictory about it. Do you want people leaving their political $0.02 on your car windshield? I'd guess probably not. And whatever rationale you might come up with for why it's okay to do it to Tesla owners can just as easily be flipped around by someone on the opposite side of the aisle.

    • Considering that TSLA is overvalued by arguably 95%, based on fundamentals, any institution that buys into it or even holds it must be engaged in some kind of fraud. Either that or criminal negligence.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by dgatwood ( 11270 )

      So the cost of an EV shoots up by 7,500. I would expect sales to drop substantially then.

      A large percentage of the people buying EVs have too much income to be eligible for the credit anyway. The median income for EV buyers is $140k, and for single people, the cutoff was just $150k. The purpose of the tax credit was to try to get EVs into the hands of people with more moderate income, but I suspect its main effect was cause people to lease the cars instead of buying them, where you could weirdly still get the credit.

      Also I think Tesla is in deep deep trouble. Best case scenario their CEO is going to take $29 billion dollars out of the company in the form of stock options that he clearly intends to sell. If he can get away with it he'll take 55 to 59 billion, which is more than the company has ever made.

      IMO, Tesla needs a new CEO. The board of directors keeps trying to pump more

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by madbrain ( 11432 )

        Since Biden's Inflation reduction act, you can get the tax credit at point of sale. You don't have to wait until tax filing. And best of all, even if you have zero federal tax liability, you won't have to pay it back.at tax time. This is my situation. I bought an Equinox EV on Aug 14 for $24,644 out the door with Calfornia sales tax included. I did not lease for several reasons :
        1. the lease has high interest rates built in
        2. the cost to buy the car at the end of the lease, would be too high, especially whe

      • There is/was also a used EV tax credit of up to $4k. That's what made it possible for me to do what ended up being an nearly even swap from my shitbox base model 2019 Nissan Versa to a Chevy Bolt (which had a brand new replaced battery due to the recall).

        The earlier iteration of the tax credit was mostly just a handout to wealthy folks who could afford a brand new EV regardless, but the one that the Big Ugly Bill killed absolutely made a difference in getting people behind the wheel of an EV that otherwise

      • That's the number of the subsidies and it's almost a quarter of the market. With the way our economic system works if even half of those people opt for an ice car that's a 12 and a half percent drop in sales and the investors are going to eat Tesla alive.

        More importantly Tesla is only profitable with that huge government subsidy using the carbon credits that other car companies got required to buy.

        Trump did away with all that so the subsidy is gone basically closing off Tesla's profitability.

        The

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by q_e_t ( 5104099 )

      So the cost of an EV shoots up by 7,500. I would expect sales to drop substantially then.

      They did so in Germany for a year, then bounced back.

      • They did so in Germany for a year, then bounced back.

        In the USA the "cash for clunkers" program created a temporary boost in new vehicle sales, then sales dropped for a bit, then recovered. Estimates are that this did little to encourage the purchase of newer and more efficient vehicles as the people taking advantage of the program just pushed up the date of their planned new vehicle purchase to get the tax break.

        The "cash for clunkers" program did take a lot of big fuel hungry vehicles off the road but then it only drove up truck and SUV sales in later year

        • Interestingly, I read that the "cash for clunkers" program largely killed off demolition derbies. Why, you ask? Because they established a minimum sale price for cars. Californians could get $1500 for surrendering their old car to be crushed, and the folks who previously paid $500 or so for an old beat-up car that they'd modify to enter in the derbies could no longer buy a car for that price. The prize money in derbies wasn't rising, so people stopped entering and the events died out.

          In the USA the "cash for clunkers" program created a temporary boost in new vehicle sales, then sales dropped for a bit, then recovered. Estimates are that this did little to encourage the purchase of newer and more efficient vehicles as the people taking advantage of the program just pushed up the date of their planned new vehicle purchase to get the tax break.

          The "cash for clunkers" program did take a lot of big fuel hungry vehicles off the road but then it only drove up truck and SUV sales in later years as there were fewer used vehicles to choose from.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by q_e_t ( 5104099 )

          In the USA the "cash for clunkers" program created a temporary boost in new vehicle sales, then sales dropped for a bit, then recovered. Estimates are that this did little to encourage the purchase of newer and more efficient vehicles as the people taking advantage of the program just pushed up the date of their planned new vehicle purchase to get the tax break.

          In Germany the subsidy is gone, EV sales are healthy. Give up the obsession with liquid (which tend to be fossil) fuels - EVs are here to stay and only gaining in popularity.

          I don't know, but it is certainly not more government putting a thumb on the scale for the EV market.

          But doing so for nuclear is fine, right?

    • Meanwhile Tesla has never been profitable without government subsidies except for a very brief window during the covid lockdown when they were the only ones with cars to sell because they don't know how to do inventory management and they had overstocked on parts. One of those cases where they failed up, much like their CEO.

      I recall Tesla being popular during the COVID-19 scare because the purchase could be done online and then the vehicle delivered to the buyers doorstep. There would be some papers that needed to be signed but this would be outdoors, with masks, so chances of infection spreading was very small. On the other hand few traditional vehicle dealerships were equipped to handle sales in any way other than face-to-face, meaning if they can't have people gather in their show rooms and offices then they could not sel

    • It's still a win in the long run.

      A surge now means more EVs on the road, which will lead to more infrastructure being built to accommodate them, which will reduce the barrier to entry for future EV buyers.

      Costs will continue to fall, as China's BYD has demonstrated is possible. And thought it might feel like Trump will be with us forever, he *will* be succeeded by someone else who is more favorable to EVs.

    • So the cost of an EV shoots up by 7,500. I would expect sales to drop substantially then.

      Also I think Tesla is in deep deep trouble. Best case scenario their CEO is going to take $29 billion dollars out of the company in the form of stock options that he clearly intends to sell. If he can get away with it he'll take 55 to 59 billion, which is more than the company has ever made.

      Meanwhile Tesla has never been profitable without government subsidies except for a very brief window during the covid lockdown when they were the only ones with cars to sell because they don't know how to do inventory management and they had overstocked on parts. One of those cases where they failed up, much like their CEO.

      I suspect it'll take a while for the stock to collapse because so many people bought into it when it was already overpriced and everybody is desperately trying to figure out how to get out of it without losing their shirts.

      Sometimes the stock market seems completely irrational. TSLA has a 238 PE ratio. Revenue and profit are both decreasing, both on an absolute scale and based on market share, all while the global EV market is growing.

      And even the so-called experts are projecting a doubling of earnings in 12 months. Why? Well, it used to be based on trusting Elon that Tesla would make self-driving cars practical and in the process overtake everyone else. That has always seemed very dubious. After a decade of touting tha

      • Didn't you hear, look over there now, Tesla is a robot/AI company now. We are not an auto company. That was so yesterday.

  • You don’t like government handouts? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward

    How do you feel about this? https://www.wired.com/story/us... [wired.com]

    • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

      by Mr. Dollar Ton ( 5495648 )

      It sounds great and you sound like a radical leftist.

      Just like liberating the populace from vaccinations cured the autism and is about to make all children healthy like it's 1890, so will fossil fuel subsidies fix the global warming hoax and get you back to the great 1960 and 1970s. You only need to name an enemy like the Soviet Union, and NATO and the EU seem to fit nicely with their rabid Leftism and anti-Russia war-mongering. Remember how the Russian Hoax started in the EU? Yeah, me neither, but that's w

    • The US has been subsidizing fossil fuel production for more than a century. Many of the tax subsidies logged in the report—including a tax break passed in 1913 that allows companies to write off large amounts of expenses related to drilling new oil wells—have been on the books for decades.

      Tax subsidies - not taking as much tax from a company as you otherwise would - is not the same as giving them other people's tax dollars. Many businesses beside fossil fuel companies get all sorts of tax breaks from all levels of government to create jobs, growth, and spinoff spending. Sometimes jurisdictions even compete based on favorable tax treatment. Not saying it is good or bad, just that it is a thing and is not specific to the fossil fuel industry.

      • Tax subsidies - not taking as much tax from a company as you otherwise would - is not the same as giving them other people's tax dollars

        Yes, actually it does exactly that. Other people have to pay more tax dollars so you can pay less.

        • Tax subsidies - not taking as much tax from a company as you otherwise would - is not the same as giving them other people's tax dollars

          Yes, actually it does exactly that. Other people have to pay more tax dollars so you can pay less.

          And as I pointed out to another poster, the same is also true of your own tax breaks. So why are we subsidizing you again?

          • Yeah, why are you indeed?

            There is a place for tax subsidies. For example, I'm fully on board with making nonprofit organizations tax-exempt. As a society, we want to encourage organizations that work for the betterment of society, so exempting them from taxes is an appropriate shifting of tax dollars, as are the tax deductions granted for contributing to them.

            Subsidies for oil companies? Not so much.

            Regardless of whether you agree with WHO gets the benefits of tax breaks, it's still true that--contrary to y

    • How do you feel about this? https://www.wired.com/story/us... [wired.com]

      I feel that without some context on how much energy is produced with those subsidies that the total dollars spent is a meaningless value.

      How much are fossil fuels subsidized versus energy produced? How much is solar power subsidized per energy produced? Last I checked on a per kWh basis solar power got at least 10x more government money than fossil fuels.

      I'm not terribly concerned about fossil fuel subsidies as most of the tax breaks that opponents to fossil fuels call subsidies are tax breaks than any la

  • Owned by Geely, a Chinese company. Our car was made in China, too. 7500 rebate on the lease. We'll probably buy it out. We didn't qualify for the rebate when purchasing.

    Might pick up a Chevy soon too. Thinking about it, at least.

  • I *do* think EV sales will eventually become the dominant portion, but it's not likely to happen without another round of evolution in terms of batteries/range/recharging times yet. Not having to buy gas is a strong incentive, partially offset by increased tire wear/tear.

    They'll get there, in time. I'm okay with the rest of the world working the kinks out first though.

    Ferret

    • Most of the increased tire wear is from just driving faster. When your car accelerates faster, you drive it faster. When it responds instantly, you use that power more often. Gas cars are fucking slow in comparison.

      • If I wanted to go fast, I would go fast with an ICE for a quarter of what an EV costs.

      • Most of the increased tire wear is from just driving faster. When your car accelerates faster, you drive it faster.

        Actually, most of the time I'm trying to keep my miles per kWh around 4, so I usually still drive like a granny. The only time I really let those electric ponies gallop is when I'm merging on or off of Florida's moronically designed I-4 express lanes. Since the on and off ramps are all on the leftmost lane, you basically have to drive like a bat out of hell or you'll get rear-ended.

        • So have you still experienced rapid tire wear by driving your electric car gently?

          I've owned a lot of different motorcycles with very different levels of power over the years, some very quick by (pre-electric) car standards. The powerful bikes gobble the tires. Even a heavier touring bike that tends to be driven more sedately, not so much. (Yes, tire compound matters too)

          • I haven't really driven enough miles yet to get a good idea how the tires are holding up. The Bolt is also rather light as far as EVs go, so my experience might not end up being representative of the average anyway.

          • I have a Polestar 2... about 4500lbs. My first factory set of tires lasted 30K miles, but got replaced because I got a lag bolt through one of the tires AND the rim right at actually 32K miles, and since it was about to go into winter in the Midwest I felt it safest to have matched wear across all four tires.

            I now have over 70K miles on my car and while I'm looking at the tires thinking it might be time soon for some new tires it's more because again it's about to go into winter in the Midwest and I prefer

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by q_e_t ( 5104099 )

      I *do* think EV sales will eventually become the dominant portion, but it's not likely to happen without another round of evolution in terms of batteries/range/recharging times yet.

      It will become dominant without any changes, but improving charge times will make adoption faster but improving the charging network and fixing the issues with places like apartment blocks on on-street will help. Naturally, people like to stick with what they know. I expect my next vehicle will be an EV if the economics are recent - I don't buy new normally but I will look at the options on the second-hand market at the point I need a new vehicle but also weigh them up against buying new with total TCO per

  • I was told last year.

  • The fine article points out how prices on EVs are ticking up. That's to be expected as demand rises. There's been mention in other comments on the demand rising because tax incentives on new EV purchases will expire soon, that will drive up sales temporarily as people that thought of a new vehicle soon anyway pushed up their buy date to get the tax benefit. Then expect sales to dip for something like a year, then recover.

    In other words, the incentives are likely to prove to have done little to encourage

  • I was looking too (Score:3)

    by mukundajohnson ( 10427278 ) on Saturday September 13, 2025 @08:28AM (#65657380)

    I was also looking at EV cars last month because the tax credit is ending.

  • My wife and I just bought (well, leased) a 2025 Ioniq 5 SE (base model). This was an upgrade from a 2016 Spark EV we bought new 9 years ago that has been great to drive (tho too small for our family now).

    The great part is, the Spark is still going fine. It's a tiny EV, only about 70 miles on a charge, but only has 40k miles on it, and definitely still usable by someone, so, we're looking to sell it.

    The even *better* part is, where we live, there's a $4000 used EV subsidy (through the power company, not fe

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