Ever since the federal government ended the subsidies for electric vehicles last September, sales have cratered. Consumers can no longer lower the price of a new electric vehicle, making them far less appealing, but they are not leaving every model behind. Sales for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 are actually up so far this year.
Through the first three months of 2026, sales for the Ioniq 5 are up 14 percent, with Hyundai selling 9,790 electric crossovers. It’s a modest increase compared to last year, but an unexpected one. Sales for the Ioniq 6 are down a whopping 75 percent, but the EV is mostly dead in the United States.
The brand's other biggest loser was the Santa Cruz, another model that Hyundai is discontinuing. Nearly every other model saw its sales increase last quarter, resulting in Hyundai’s best first-quarter sales ever with a 1.0 percent increase. Hyundai has sold 205,388 vehicles so far this year.
Model 2026 YTD Sales 2025 YTD Sales % Change Elantra 33,063 33,490 -1% Ioniq 5 9,790 8,611 14% Ioniq 6 829 3,318 -75% Ioniq 9 1,990 0 N/A Kona 17,391 17,018 2% Palisade 27,704 26,235 6% Santa Cruz 4,544 6,648 -32% Santa Fe 33,343 31,401 6% Sonata 14,547 15,797 -8% Tucson 55,426 54,973 1% Venue 6,761 6,063 12% Total 205,388 203,554 1%
Hyundai’s best-selling model continues to be the Tucson, with 55,426 units sold. The Santa Fe is Hyundai’s second-best-selling model, with 33,343 sold, followed by the Elantra at 33,063, down 1 percent.
The Venue, the automaker’s cheapest model, saw sales rise 12 percent last quarter to 6,761 units. Sonata sales fell 8 percent, down from 15,797 to 14,547, while Kona sales increased 2.0 percent.
Hyundai says its first-quarter sales were propelled by strong hybrid sales, with the Santa Fe, Elantra, and Sonata up 47 percent, 141 percent, and 107 percent. Sales for the all-new Palisade were up 6 percent, with the automaker selling 37,704 from January through March.
Motor1’s Take: The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a great electric crossover, so we are not surprised that it is defying the odds. The rest of the Hyundai lineup is also selling well, but it will be interesting to see if it can continue this momentum heading toward mid-year.
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Source: Hyundai
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