Electrified vehicles (hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery-electric, fuel cell EV) are now 16 percent of overall new vehicle sales in the United States. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) tracks vehicle sales in the U.S., compiling quarterly statistics of the industry. As of Q2 2023, electrified vehicles are about 16 percent of sales overall.
The trend of electrified vehicles, especially hybrids, has been one of growth since 2014 when the EIA began differentiating between electrified vehicles and standard gasoline and diesel options. In 2014, hybrids were about 3 percent of overall sales. Today they are 7.2 percent. Electric vehicles were near-zero in 2014 and began growing in 2018 with sales now making up 6.7 percent of the total. Plug-in hybrids have seen steady increases since about 2016 and today make up about 1.7 percent of the total. Other types of electrified vehicles are below one percent.
A large portion of the sales increase was due to new manufacturer offerings across different market segments, EIA says. Total hybrid options from manufacturers dropped from 318 to 297 between 2021 and 2023 while battery electric options rose from 34 to 55 models.
A large portion of new car sales are luxury models, growing from 14 percent in 2020 and 18 percent in as of Q2 2023. A lot of that was in Q2 of 2023, where EVs made up 32 percent of luxury sales. Most of the battery-electric model shift is happening in the luxury segment. The majority of battery-electric models are in this segment. Roughly 20 percent of all luxury models are battery-electrics while only 7 percent are non-luxury options. Manufacturers removed 17 internal combustion models and added 19 battery-electric models from 2020 to present.
Aaron is an automotive journalist living in Wyoming, USA. His background includes technology, mechanics, commercial vehicles, and new vehicle evaluations. Aaron is a member of several automotive media groups and writes for many well-known publications.