State analysts: new EV sales dipped after federal incentives ended, used market remains resilient

Andrew Rector convened a July meeting of the Interagency Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council where Santiago Beltran Laborde, the council’s data analyst, delivered a detailed review of Washington’s EV market through May 2026.

Beltran Laborde said the state’s transaction dataset (which can lag actual sales by up to 45 days) shows a pronounced drop in new EV purchases after federal incentives and some regulatory changes in September 2025. “We had a drop in new electric vehicle sales of about 11% between 2024 and 2025,” he said, noting new‑vehicle monthly sales fell from roughly 5,700 in October 2025 to about 3,600 in recent months.

The analyst contrasted that decline with continued strength in the used‑EV market. “Used EV sales have been increasing and now overtake new EV count per month,” he said, adding that affordability appears to be driving secondary‑market growth. He flagged that used EVs accounted for about 4–4.5% of used‑vehicle sales in recent months and that some models are available at prices as low as the mid‑single digits, while higher‑end used models push averages upward.

Beltran Laborde compared current performance to the transportation electrification strategy benchmarks (the council’s scenario 3, the preferred state target). He said recent data imply the state is behind the scenario 3 trajectory: earlier strong adoption created a population cushion, but current sales trajectories will require renewed effort to meet those targets.

Council members pressed on price dynamics, supply of off‑lease vehicles and the potential for the used market to ‘cannibalize’ new sales. Commerce’s Steven Hershkowitz said the used market’s supply constraints and high wholesale resale prices nationally merit monitoring and could put upward pressure on used prices if demand continues to rise.

Beltran Laborde also noted data‑quality caveats: two outlier points distorted average used‑vehicle price lines and were removed for a clearer trend; he said further analysis—especially cross‑referencing title transactions with county residence—would help clarify where vehicles are being bought, kept or moved across state lines.

The council did not take formal votes; members said the data will inform program design decisions—such as Commerce’s upcoming, scaled round‑two instant rebate program and WAZIP voucher allocations—intended to support access and lower price barriers.

Next steps: the council expects more granular analyses on county‑level population vs. transaction flows and will revisit benchmarks as newer months of data become available.