Toyota is now among the top 5 EV sellers in the US, but it’s still taking its foot off the gas

Toyota’s electric vehicle sales surged 225% in Q2, making it one of America’s top-selling EV brands.

Toyota has become one of America’s top 5 EV sellers

With three electric SUVs now on sale, Toyota “has emerged as an increasingly significant player and now ranks among the top five EV sellers in the US,” Cox Automotive said after releasing its Q2 2026 EV sales report last week.

While the US EV market is still recovering from last year’s policy changes, including the end of the federal $7,500 tax credit, a few brands bucked the trend by posting higher sales.

According to Kelley Blue Book estimates, 247,226 EVs were sold in the US in Q2. While it’s still lower than the same period last year (-36% YOY), it’s an improvement (+14.7%) over Q1 2026 and Q4 2025.

Although Tesla’s sales dropped 13% in Q2 (124,800) and are down 11% through the first half of 2026 (242,100), it still dominates the market. Tesla accounts for over 50% of EV sales in the US through June, nearly all of which were the Model 3 and Model Y.

Chevrolet ranked a distant second with a 6.1% market share. GM sold 4,224 new Chevy Bolts in the first half of the year, but sales of the Equinox EV plummeted 41% with just 16,249 models sold.

Hyundai took third (5.8% market share) with the IONIQ 5 ranking as America’s best-selling EV outside of Tesla. IONIQ 5 sales rose 8.6% through June, to 20,730 units.

Meanwhile, Toyota ranked fourth with a 4.7% share of the US EV market. Toyota’s electric SUV, the 2026 bZ, ranked as the fourth-best-selling EV in the US, behind the Tesla Model Y, Model 3, and Hyundai IONIQ 5, with 17,553 units sold through June.

GM’s Cadillac rounded out the top 5 (4.7% market share), with a full lineup of electric SUVs including the Optiq, Lyriq, Vistiq, and Cadillac IQ.

With the new C-HR and bZ Woodland that went on sale earlier this year, Toyota sold 21,855 EVs in total in the first half of 2026. That’s up 136% from just 9,249 during the same period last year.

Despite the recent success, Toyota announced last week that it’s delaying production of the 2027 Highlander BEV, its first electric three-row SUV, by at least two months.

The electric Highlander was scheduled to go on sale by the end of 2026, but Toyota will continue building the current 2026 model through December. The delay only affects the EV version, not the current hybrid or gas models, which are now expected to remain available well into 2027.

Toyota claimed the move was to allow for last-minute adjustments, but it’s more likely it’s to keep selling the gas and hybrid versions.

While it has yet to be confirmed, the delay could impact the Lexus TZ and Subaru Getaway, as they are built on the same platform as the electric Highlander.

The numbers are KBB estimates. Since not every brand reports a breakdown of US sales figures, the estimates provide the best estimate of vehicle sales by brand and model.

Electrek’s Take

If Toyota is bucking the trend with electric vehicle sales more than doubling over the past year, why would it slow down now?

Well, for one, Toyota has insisted on offering all powertrain options, including gas, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric.

The strategy may work for now, but it’s about to face a new wave of competition. Several other brands that focus on pure-electric batteries, drivetrains, and other vehicle components are starting to gain ground.

Rivian is now taking reservations for the midsize R2 SUV. The Standard model is set to go on sale in 2027, starting at $44,990.

The three-row Hyundai IONIQ 9 and Kia EV9 electric SUVs are seeing more demand this year as buyers look for larger but efficient SUVs.

Toyota will also face the new Tesla Model Y L, which launched earlier this month. The longer Model Y variants add a third row and start at $61,990.

While the Highlander EV was expected to undercut all of them with prices from around $50,000, the delay will open the door for others to jump ahead.