The U.S. electric vehicle (EV) market, once fueled by federal incentives, has hit a wall. In October 2025—the first full month after the $7,500 EV tax credit expired—sales plunged, with some models dropping up to 80%. A frenzied September rush to beat the deadline left showrooms empty and October’s numbers in freefall, exposing a harsh truth: if EVs were truly in high demand, the government never would have needed to subsidize them in the first place.
S&P Global Mobility reports just 64,000 new EVs sold last month, down sharply from September’s surge. Pure EV sales fell 57% year-over-year, capturing only 6% of new car sales. The collapse was especially brutal for non-Tesla brands. Hyundai’s all-electric lineup dropped 71% month-to-month, with the Ioniq 5 cratering 80%—from 1,401 units to 281. Toyota’s bZ4X sold just six units, down from 1,401. Ford saw a 25% year-over-year decline. Even Tesla felt the chill, despite outshipping production in Q3.
AutoSpies.com saw this coming in 2023, warning that the year could mark the beginning of the end for legacy EV programs outside Tesla—long before most analysts acknowledged the cracks. Yet major auto sites still cling to rosy projections, ignoring the ticking “death clock” on non-Tesla EV adoption.
With incentives gone, average EV prices spiked to $65,021—near record highs. General Motors idled workers as demand evaporated. Meanwhile, hybrids surged: Hyundai’s hybrid sales jumped 41%, proving consumers want efficiency without the full EV price tag.
“Price is one of the biggest reasons people won’t buy an EV,” says Ed Kim, AutoPacific president. “To an entry-level buyer, $7,500 is the difference between yes and no.”\
Chevy, Rivian, and Ford plan sub-$30,000 EVs by 2026, banking on scale and tech. But without artificial support, the market is revealing its true temperature—and it’s running cold.
Tell us Spies, WHERE does it go from here for non-Tesla EVs in the USA?