Recent data indicates that electric vehicle batteries are enduring for significantly longer than consumers might believe, but sales in the US continue to decline.
TL;DR: Modern electric vehicles (EVs) maintain 95 percent of their range after five years, yet US sales dropped by 28 percent in June due to lagging policy and perception relative to the technology. According to a new analysis by Recurrent, EVs hold an average of 97 percent of their original range after three years and 95 percent after five years. For instance, a 2026 model with a range of 325 miles would still offer roughly 309 miles after five years of use. Additionally, a separate Recurrent study indicated that the battery replacement rate for 2022 and newer EVs is only three out of every thousand vehicles.
Research by Geotab, based on more than 22,700 vehicles, found a similar conclusion, with an average annual degradation rate of slightly over two percent. Viet Nguyen-Tien, an EV researcher at the London School of Economics, explained to The Wall Street Journal that advancements in battery chemistry, thermal regulation, and battery management have led to lasting improvements in battery durability compared to early models like the Nissan Leaf, notorious for quick degradation after its 2010 debut. In a 2026 AAA survey, 56 percent of those unlikely to purchase an EV cited the high costs of battery repair or replacement as their main concern.
Although the data indicates that these concerns are increasingly unfounded, they have not resulted in increased sales. Cox Automotive estimates that roughly 75,000 new EVs were purchased by Americans in June, a decline of nearly 28 percent compared to the previous year, resulting in EVs representing just over five percent of total new-vehicle sales for the month. A Deloitte survey earlier this year found that only seven percent of Americans intend to buy an electric vehicle next. However, used EV sales increased by over 20 percent in June year-over-year, according to Cox Automotive.
The sales decline largely stems from policy changes. The Trump administration allowed the $7,500 federal EV tax credit to lapse last September and relaxed emissions regulations, which Ford CEO Jim Farley warned could halve EV demand. Several automakers have since halted or canceled EV models in the US market, and while Edmunds reported a slight uptick in consumer interest earlier this year due to rising gas prices, it wasn’t sufficient to reverse the overall trend.
The disconnect between technological capabilities and consumer perceptions now stands as the main barrier for the American EV market. The batteries perform well, replacement rates are low, and the used market is expanding, yet new sales are declining because federal policy has eliminated price incentives that made EVs competitive with combustion vehicles. Without policy changes, the industry is left promoting a product that has resolved its major technical issues to a market that either remains unaware or lacks the financial incentive to care.
Published July 25, 2026 - 3:28 pm UTC
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Recent data indicates that electric vehicle batteries are enduring for significantly longer than consumers might believe, but sales in the US continue to decline.
Recent analyses from Recurrent and Geotab reveal that contemporary EV batteries experience significantly less degradation than consumers are concerned about, despite a 28 percent decline in US sales compared to the previous year.