Share of “clean” vehicles in US passenger car sales fell in Q1

The share of electric and hybrid vehicles in total US passenger vehicle sales fell to 18% in the first quarter of this year. The decline was mainly driven by lower electric vehicle sales, with their share falling from 8.1% in the fourth quarter of last year to 7.0%. This is according to data published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The share of internal combustion engine vehicles in total sales in the United States rose to 82% in the first quarter of this year, following a long-term decline.

The rise in the share of internal combustion engine vehicles and the fall in the share of “clean” vehicles were mainly due to lower electric vehicle sales, which had generally been growing at a double-digit pace in previous quarters.

The EIA said two factors were mainly behind the slowdown in electric vehicle sales in the first quarter of this year. The first was an overall decline in the luxury car market, while the second was a downturn in the market for more affordable electric vehicles.

“Electric vehicles remain popular in the luxury vehicle segment, where they have held a one-third share since the first quarter of 2023. Of all electric vehicles sold in the first quarter of 2024, 8 in 10 were in the luxury model category, mainly because luxury electric vehicles remain widely available and brands such as Tesla, Mercedes, Rivian, Cadillac, Audi and BMW are popular,” the agency said.