EIA: Hybrid share of U.S. vehicle sales rises as battery electric sales fall after tax credits expired

Hybrid electric vehicles reached 16% of new U.S. light-duty vehicle sales in the third quarter of 2026, while battery electric vehicle sales fell to 6% from 10% a year earlier, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said, citing estimates from Omdia.

According to the EIA, hybrid, battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles together made up 23% of new light-duty vehicle sales in the quarter, down slightly from 24% in the third quarter of 2025. Plug-in hybrid sales fell from 1.8% to 0.7% over the same period. The agency said hybrid sales growth slowed this quarter as the average new vehicle transaction price passed $50,000, citing Kelley Blue Book.

Two federal tax credits for buying or leasing new electric vehicles, the New Clean Vehicle Credit and the Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit, expired on September 30, 2025. The EIA said hybrids were not eligible for those credits. Battery electric vehicles reached a record 12% of sales in September 2025, just before the expiration.

In the luxury segment, battery electric vehicles accounted for 12% of sales in the third quarter of 2026, down from 31% a year earlier, the agency said.

The EIA noted that electric vehicles made up 2% of all registered U.S. light-duty vehicles in 2024, the most recent year with fleet-wide data.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/247